


Love When You Aren't Looking

by Aleandri



Category: Supernatural
Genre: (Not So)Straight!Dean, AU, Anal Sex, BAMF Castiel, BAMF Dean, Bottom Castiel, Bottom Dean, Business!Castiel, Cock Blocking Cats, Corporate Espionage, Cuddling, Cute Confessions, Destiel - Freeform, Dildos, Drama, Everybody Wants to be a Hero, F/F, F/M, First (Gay) Kiss, First Date, FirstSexInAnInappropriatePlace, Fluff, Gabriel's a little shit, Gay Castiel, Happy Ending, Humor, Kinks, Kitten!Lucifer, Lawrence Ships It, LeadSinger!Dean, Love at First Sight, M/M, Masturbation, Meet-Cute, Oral Sex, Phone Sex, Podfic, Protective!Castiel, Rollercoaster of Emotions, Romance, Sam's Bitchface, San Diego's (Gay) Nightlife, Smut, Teasing, The Whole World Ships It, Top Castiel, Top Dean, badass parents, but we love him, crazy costumes, great music, mechanic!Dean, minor manipulation, protective!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-03-21 19:50:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 284,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3703437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleandri/pseuds/Aleandri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just your regular 'boy meets boy', 'boy likes boy', 'boy rescues boy from a hostile corporate take-over with the help of a rag-tag team of crazy (-awesome) friends and family' kind of story. Love at first sight is the easy part. </p><p>Features: Nosy brothers, plotting friends, a few tropes that snuck in when the author wasn't looking, great music, corporate espionage, daring rescues and- wait for it!- Kitten!Lucifer.</p><p>[PODFIC in Progress- Chapters 1-30 Complete as of 18 MAR 2018]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breakfast (Cue Dramatic Reverb)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Folks, this fanfic was originally posted under my same author name and title on FanFiction.net . If you wandered into this story by some weird mis-navigation, be warned: There is Male on Male sex herein. The graphic kind... (-*o^-)
> 
> It's a novel (like, seriously, where did the last year and a half of my life go...?) It starts slow, but starts picking up fast (snowball affect) as the drama unfolds. I'm gonna recommend starting it at the beginning of a weekend. There's plot- a big, elaborate one with danger and sex and multiple POVs (Oh, my!) I know the word count looks intimidating (even I try to avoid such big commitments-in fanfics and relationships, both...), but if you make it to the extras at the end, you get a prize! *coughbabiescough*
> 
> There are also prizes if you leave kudos or comments! *coughpersonalsatisfactionandmylovecough*
> 
> I do not own Supernatural or any of the related characters and story lines. Any music included herein belongs to the original singers/musicians/performers. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

  

Shout Out to Reader: Shinyredapples! Thanks for humoring my FanArt request!

'Castiel Raises Dean From Perdition'

(Which is not a scene in this story, just a soul-crushing need I had...) -^o^-

 

I made a PodFic! (An audio-recording of the story) Click the link below if you'd like to be guided through the story by my *slightly robotic* voice.

[Love When You Aren't Looking Ch's. 1-10](https://www.mediafire.com/?4thuh4jod2dxodo) PODFIC

[Love When You Aren't Looking Ch's. 10-20](http://www.mediafire.com/file/8d8938kcd38c66q/LWYAL-_10_20-_12_28_16%2C_8.38_PM.m4a) PODFIC

[Love When You Aren't Looking Ch'. 21-23](http://www.mediafire.com/file/88gqwz3o23bms77/LWYAL_CH._21-23-_11_8_17%2C_1.02_PM.m4a) PODFIC 

[Love When You Aren't Looking Ch's 24 & 25](http://www.mediafire.com/file/n66gwf6iu66qj6w/LWYAL_CH._24-25_-_1_8_18%2C_7.22_PM.m4a) PODFIC

[Love When You Aren't Looking Ch's 26-30](http://www.mediafire.com/file/x2usuahyxaepn34/LWYAL_CH._26-30_-_3_18_18%2C_5.21_PM.m4a)  PODFIC

 

...-^o^-...

Dean's day could only have gotten worse if the car he was currently working on had slipped off the jack and pinned him underneath.

He cast a hateful glare towards the device propping the silver Audi up, as if daring the Fates to make their move. He kept his intense focus on the jack as he lay on his back in his filthy coveralls.

After several seconds he released a bitter hiss and pulled his gaze back to the work above him.

His arms were tired. His back was sore. He had shallow cuts on his hands that were bathing in oil and dirt as he worked on the bent axel.

All of that was fine.

On any other day, Dean would have embraced the physical strain on his body. He would have been completely focused on the task, and on doing his best to provide the kind of quality work that he was known throughout Lawrence, Kansas for doing. He may have even been humming along to Don't Fear the Reaper as it blasted out of the speaker system nearby.

But not today...

Today Sam had made Dean an incredible breakfast.

...

..

.

Dean had woken up to the mouth-watering scent of bacon, eggs, toast, and Optimism for the Future.

He knew immediately that something must be up if his younger brother, Sammy, had made him breakfast. It was like the harbinger of bad news in their family.

The last time had been been two months ago when Sam had been in a minor collision in his Tacoma, and had tried to hide it from Dean. After Dean had made sure Sammy was okay, he had spent the entire evening yelling about being careful and keeping secrets.

The next morning there had been pancakes, sausage, and eggs waiting for him. Turns out, Sammy couldn't afford the repairs...

Before that, Sam had got in a tight spot with money because he was severly in debt from his student loans. He had made a huge breakfast, let Dean get half-way into it, then asked for a two thousand dollar loan for a new laptop.

Then, of course, there were the Apology Breakfasts.

'Sorry I locked you out of the house last night so I could hook-up with 'what's her name'. Here's some French toast...?'

'Sorry I borrowed the Impala without asking, forgot to fill the tank, and left you and your date stranded on the highway at ten p.m. at night. Twelve-egg omelete...?'

'I SWEAR I didn't know that you were hitting on that chick, too. Sorry she ended up leaving with me. Biscuits and gravy...?'

There was a wide range of reasons that Sammy would have made Dean breakfast, and not a damn one of them was good.

This morning wasn't likely to be an exception.

After filling up a plate and sitting down, Dean steeled himself for the worst and demanded, "Alright, Sammy. Give it to me straight."

Sam turned his big brown eyes up from where he had been studiously keeping them trained on the plate in front of him. He shrugged and turned intently back to his food, shoveling in as much as he could manage.

"C'mon. Stop fucking around. I know you have something to say. Just get it over with."

Sam's eyes returned nervously to Dean's and he looked like he would have given anything in the world delay the topic just a few more minutes. Dean swallowed thickly and sat his fork down on the table beside him, waiting.

In his mind, terrible scenarios were playing out. One of their friends was injured, or possibly dead. Sam got a chick pregnant. The auto shop Dean worked at had been destroyed in a fire. Scene after horrible scene was flashing through Dean's panicked mind as Sam slowly swallowed his food and cleared his throat.

"Jo, uh... Jo says Lisa's engaged," he finally muttered, holding Dean's eyes.

Dean felt like his heart slammed to a stop in his chest.

He could hear the buzz of the kitchen lights overhead.

A dog barking outside in the street.

The chair creaking under Sam as he shifted uncomfortably, holding eye contact.

Lisa was engaged.

_HIS Lisa...the same woman who he had proposed to not even five months ago...? The same person who had told him 'no' and walked out of his life...?_

Forcing his emotions down, Dean had moved numbly through all the motions. He insisted to Sam that he was fine. That he wasn't angry or planning to do something stupid. Thanking him for the huge breakfast and assuring him that it wasn't necessary.

His smiles had felt thin, and he tried to look at anything to avoid meeting Sammy's eyes. Sam had the decency to try and change the subject, make it seem as if it weren't a huge deal. Like Dean's life wasn't completely turned ass-up. But Dean barely heard any of it.

"Ellen says the gig sold out," Sam was rambling.

_-I thought she would just take a break and come back to me-_

"Ash had two more NASA recruiters camping outside his trailer waiting to try and talk him into a job again." Sam laughed, and Dean quickly laughed, too, but wasn't paying attention to a word of it.

_-She was the only one who stayed with me so long. God- no one else could put up with me like she did-_

"I think my Criminology Professor is trying to hook up with me by leaving risque notes on my returned essays. She's at least fifty years old!"

Barely listening, Dean hummed something along the lines of, "Well, if it'll get you an 'A'..."

He knew Sam wasn't fooled by his noncommittal answers, but he was damn-sure grateful that his little brother had the tact not to try and pry into his feelings like usual.

After the remaining food was cleared off the table, Sam began to race out the door heading to campus. He had stopped for just a few moments in the front door as if he was considering putting his blazer and keys down and coming back inside. Of course he was. Sam was more emotionally intimate than prepubescent girl. He probably wanted to HUG Dean or cry together over a tub of ice cream...

_Fuck that._

Dean shot his brother a hard look. A warning.

Sam held the glare, eyes determined for several seconds. When Dean hadn't budged, he had finally broke eye-contact and muttered, "Call me if you need anything... _jerk_."

"Have fun at school, _bitch_." Dean had replied easily.

Dean had waited a few seconds, until he heard the sound of Sam getting into his truck in the driveway, before leaning his full body weight against the hallway wall and sliding ungracefully down it, into a heap.

_Lisa was...engaged...?_

…

The phone ringing sometime later had been the cue to Dean that he was still zoned out on the hall floor in nothing but his pajama pants.

It had been Bobby calling to see why Dean wasn't at work yet. The fact that the older man wasn't cussing a storm and threatening to fire Dean was a big clue that Sam or Jo had already put in a call to let the Auto Shop know about Lisa.

Dean tried not to dwell on it as he dressed sluggishly, the beginnings of a headache forming.

Lisa had lasted the longest of all his girlfriends. Hell- they'd been friends since fucking grade school. Dated for the last two years.

Dean had recognized that he wasn't 'the best boyfriend', but she had always laughed him off. She joked that he was just her 'eye-candy', and that she understood that he was afraid of commitment. She had ignored all the gossips, her friends, her mother- everyone- when they warned her that he just didn't seem as in love with her as she was with him.

He had needed that. Someone to keep assuring him that he wasn't broken. That he wasn't destined to end up alone. That there wasn't something seriously fucked-up with him that prevented him from getting close to people and letting his defenses down.

Dean had believed in Lisa. He had believed that she was the one. She understood his emotional distance, his joking about serious matters, his need for them to have separate lives and personal space.

He felt that if there ever was going to be a clue that he had found 'The One', than that was it.

No sparks-

No choir of angels-

No clouds parting as a ray of golden sunlight shone straight down upon her-

Just great sex and loads of patience.

In retrospect, proposing on that basis was an obvious mistake...

She had walked out on him, still bent on one knee, in the middle of the Road House, their favorite bar, with his friends and family shuffling uncomfortably nearby. She had left Lawrence before the end of the week to go live with her sister across the state.

That had been five months ago. Dean had been striking out with his few one-night-stands since then, looking for that same patience she had showed him immediately. All he'd managed to find was horny college chicks and cougars.

_And now Lisa, the only woman he had finally let himself get close to, was engaged..._

.

..

...

After a solid four hours of nothing but his miserable thoughts and the filthy bent axel above him, Dean finally rolled himself out from underneath the Audi. It was nearly noon and he still in a foul mood, but he was sure that he had left the impression with everyone at the shop that he was completely over Lisa, and unaffected by her engagement.

Bobby had been respectful, in his own gruff kind of way, by only telling Dean to 'Hurry the Hell up' a few times. Dean bit back heated retorts each time the older man fussed at him.

He chose instead to hide his foul mood behind humor. In one instance, after a particularly aggravating comment from the old man, Dean had flashed him a bright smile from under the car and joked, "You know Bobby, you could come on down here and help me, but we would need a second jack to get your old ass back up."

He had earned several laughs from his coworkers, Ash and Benny, and at least one light kick from the geezer himself throughout the course of the day.

Now, sitting alone in the back break room of the Auto Shop at lunch time, Dean ruefully checked the imaginary box as 'successfully completed'.

He was confident that the 'manly-men' he worked with would dash excitedly back to the rest of their mutual friends to assure everyone that he was fine. He wasn't going to shut himself up in the house again.

He was still probably going to be the main topic of whispered conversations at the Road House tonight. Hell, he didn't even want to go there and hang out this evening, but he knew it would look bad if he didn't. Fucking 'caring' friends, and all...

Dean sighed to himself, weighing the benefit of having close, caring friends versus locking himself in his and Sam's house, and letting Netflix be the only friend in his life. It was close. He DID really like 'The Walking Dead'...

Dean's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Ash bursting through the break room door and scaring the fuck out of him.

"SO..." Ash began, practically skipping over to him, "the owner of your Audi is here to pick it up." The way Ash was smirking irked Dean in his foul mood, but he forced the irritation down and shrugged lazily.

"Hmm. That was quick. I was wondering why Bobby made that car a priority today," Dean said with little actual interest as he feigned reading the magazine sitting on the old coffee table in front of him.

"The reason," Ash continued excitedly, "is because that car is the company car for-drumroll!- the President of the ADA Office!" Ash finished by throwing his hands high in the air, as if gesturing that the information was the most awesome thing he had heard in his life. Like- EVER.

Dean eyed him cynically for several moments, eye brow raised.

Ash maintained his upraised arm stance, waiting with a look of absolute patience.

The standoff lasted nearly thirty seconds before Dean accidentally snorted- his first genuine laugh after hearing about Lisa that morning.

"Alright, alright, I'll bite. So, is Mr. Moneybags himself gracing our lowly little shop with his presence, or did he send his 'chauffeur'?" Dean asked mockingly, mouth curving up in a small smile.

He, Ash and Benny made a pastime out of knocking on the rich smucks who deigned to receive service from the small garage. It was common knowledge within a hundred mile radius that Bobby's Auto and Salvage was the best car repair shop around.

But, the ADA company was WAY out of the main stream from their normal jobs.

And the President's personal company car? That was unheard of.

The company employed people from all over the state to work in Lawrence. It was huge. Way too upscale to bother with a local auto shop, no matter how good.

Ash was leaning against the rickety table, a gleam in his eyes as he met Dean's. "Well, I'm not sure WHO this guy is, but he's dressed way too nice to be a chauffeur..."

An opportunity to harass a stuck up rich guy was EXACTLY what Dean needed to get his mind off Lisa. Maybe the Fates were looking out for him, after all.

With matching grins, he and Ash both lunged for the door, shoving each other excitedly to get through it and out to the open bay garage.


	2. Cars and Cats

 

...-^o^-...

Castiel had locked himself in his spacious office for the last four hours, not even bothering to turn on the lights.

The hazy gray daylight filtering through the blinds didn't help his mood-or his hang-over. The weather had been overcast with sporadic downpours all night and into today with no apparent signs of changing.

His trench coat hanging on the coat rack by his office door had been steadily dripping onto the expensive carpet. His finely tailored suit was damp and beginning smell. The scents of dirt and alcohol were the most noticeable.

His phone had been ringing steadily, in time with the pounding of his head, but he chose to ignore it for the first time since moving to his new position at the Lawrence, Kansas location of ADA, inc.

He had seen his new secretary, a red-headed woman named Charlie, very un-covertly walk by the uncovered glass panel of his office door dozens of times since he arrived in late this morning. She looked worried, but was respecting his request that she not disturb him. He felt a small twang of guilt each time she peeked in; he liked Charlie. His previous secretaries at the other locations he had worked at had been either stuffy old women or alarmingly desperate young women with too much make-up and a bad habit of playing on their phones all day.

Charlie was a big change. For starters, she was blunt in an extremely friendly and familial way.

When she greeted him at his arrival a month ago, her first words when she saw him were, "Hot damn! You are way cuter than the last guy!" Followed immediately by a panicked, but sincere, "Oh! But don't freak out because I think your hot! Seriously- I'm a huge lesbian! Like, I totally recognize how hot you are, but, it just wouldn't work out between us! I mean, not that I have anything against you personally, or guys personally. I mean, I've sometimes thought about a threesome with Freg and George Weasely, but that was something else entirely…." She had seemed to mentally wonder away at that point, then snapped her attention back to Castiel. Turning bright red and looking pointedly away, she finally muttered, "Anywho. I am your secretary. Yep…."

Castiel had been alarmed, but not entirely put-off by her personality. But by the end of his first day at the office, he was thanking whatever powers had given Charlie her job. She was brilliant, funny, intuitive- and had him pegged as gay by lunch. She still wouldn't tell him how.

Now it was almost noon on a Monday, and her new boss was sitting alone in his dark office refusing to interact with the outside world. And he smelled like a liquor store...

Oh. And there was the _cat_.

Castiel couldn't dredge up the motivation to explain his horrible last forty-eight hours to her. But, it kept replaying on repeat in his mind...

…

..

.

The circumstances leading up to the Monday morning from Hell could be blamed exclusively on Gabriel. He was like a misfortune magnet, with the incredible power to deflect all bad luck onto the people around him. Specifically, onto his younger brother, Castiel.

Castiel had known as they grew up that being around Gabriel was always a trainwreck waiting to happen- in slow motion, with no survivors.

It was never intentional on Gabriel's part to get his younger brother into shady situations. In fact, most of the events started out as well-intentioned efforts to help his brother out. Then they just cascaded into full-blown disasters. _Every time._

Example 1: Gabriel tried to 'encourage' Castiel's middle school teacher to pass him in Math- with a wad of hundred dollar bills. Castiel had been transferred to a new school.

Example 2: Gabriel decided to 'supervise' Castiel's first time drinking. They had ended up drunkenly trying to outrun the police- Gabriel refusing to leave behind the stolen traffic STOP sign as they navigated through dozens of manicured back yards. The older man had ended up having to be fished out of a pool by the fire department. Castiel still remembered the way the helicopter spotlights lit up the family's faces as they watched, horrified, from inside their home.

Example 3: Gabriel had tried to 'help' Castiel come out of the closet. They were both banned for life from all Disney theme parks and resorts.

Most of Gabriel's stunts were centered around the need to provide a more solid father-figure in Castiel's life as he grew up. Their actual father was always around, but he was like a ghost in the room. A silent man who watched them both quietly and smiled gently. He never made any attempts to intervene in their lives. Never attempted to curb Gabriel's wild antics. Never insisted that Castiel follow in his footsteps. He just looked on as they lived their lives and made their mistakes.

To the rest of the world, their father was an image of a well-dressed businessman smiling on the cover of Forbes with a fancy title. He was known as the Founder of the ADA. And they were 'The Heirs'. To Castiel, the man was a silent stranger with eyes that matched his own.

Castile had secretly hidden one of the magazine pages of their father under his pillow when he six. One night he had gone to pull it out and wishfully think about knowing his father better, and making him proud.  _Someone_ had drawn horns, a mustache, and a uni-brow on it. Gabriel had refused to apologize. He had always been put-off by their father's emotional distance. Especially after their mother passed, and their father continued to work even harder at his job.

But, by far, the worst way Gabriel had screwed Castiel over was recently.

Gabriel had felt bad about not being able to work in the same city as Castiel. As a Company Executive, Gabriel was able to get away with practically anything he wanted. And, having a massive brother complex that bordered on obsessive, he had always kept Castiel close.

Gabriel had _pretended_ not to know that Castiel had filed a request to go anywhere that put distance between him and his older brother (Gabriel's last stunt having resulted in Castiel spending forty-eight hours in jail).

The obvious answer to the unfortunate distance between the two brothers, of course, was to set Castiel up with a handsome, successful, and blatantly gay Board Member.

Castiel had been consistently unfortunate with his choice in men his whole life. When he was younger, he had made the mistake of believing in true love and pretty words and promises. It had taken several nasty surprises and ugly break-ups for Castiel to understand that people would lie if there was money involved.

He was pretty sure a least three of his previous boyfriends weren't even gay. Some people would do anything for money.

His luck didn't improve as he grew older. He was a sucker for a handsome face. He found himself drawn into unreturned crushes with straight men more often than not. Those were the worst. He had felt like a stalker- watching as the men of his dreams hit on girls in the office, talked about their wild nights with random women, got married and lived happily ever after.

After a nasty incident with a co-worker, who turned out to be very much straight, and very easily upset about being confessed to by another man, Castiel had finally given up.

His self-imposed celibacy had lasted over three years.

Then Gabriel, being the super-helpful, concerned older brother that he was, had sent him Dick. Literally.

Dick Roman had seemed relatively safe at first. Sure, he was over-confident and cut-throat at his job in the ADA's Public Relations Department. But, he worked hard to win Castiel over. Plus, Castiel had the added benefit of knowing for sure that Dick: a) wasn't after him for just his money, and b) was as gay as a bowl of Fruit Loops.

A big, horny, bowl of Fruit Loops that felt so sure of his dating skills that he went for a home-run on the first date.

And, damn it, Castiel had let him. Three years was a long time, and Castiel was tired of the waiting and wanting.

Their relationship had lasted four months.

Castiel had been able to grit his teeth and deal with the narcissism. He could even manage the embarrassment of Dick being…well, a dick to anyone who wasn't as 'elite' as himself. He could even deal with the mediocre sex.

The breaking point, that made Castiel pack his bags in the middle of the day and fly to his brother's home office location in Lawrence, Kansas without warning, was because of a conversation he had overheard between Dick and one of the other company executives.

Castiel had just left the two alone to chat as he headed downstairs to return to his office, but had hurried back up to check on dinner plans with Dick for that evening. He had stopped before turning the corner on instinct when he heard his name mentioned.

"Castiel Novak, huh?" The associate asked, the smirk clear in his voice. "What's that like? Don't tell me you think hooking up with the youngest in the family is going to get you handouts from the Old Man."

Dick had laughed smugly, before answering, "Don't be ridiculous. All I need to impress the old bastard at the top is my natural charisma. Castiel's just a good looking lay who has too many self-esteem issues to ever leave me. You should have seen how desperate he was on the first date. It was actually pathetic. I'm the best thing that could have happened to him- and he knows it."

Castiel had stood in stony silence for just a few more seconds, listening to the two men chortling about his sad, lonely life. Then, that small, well-hidden spark of dangerous pride inside him had flared into a full blown flame.

He had walked with his head held high out of the tall office building. He had stopped briefly to pack a bag at his condo, calling from the cab to the airport, to arrange for the local company jet to fly him to Kansas.

As bitter and miserable as he was, he still cracked a genuine smile every time his cell phone rang over the next several days, flashing the caller ID 'Dick'.

Naturally, after Castiel abruptly appeared on his doorstep in Kansas, Gabriel had managed to wheedle the reason for his sudden transfer out of him in just under three weeks. Castiel had held strong for so long because he knew Gabriel. Once his older brother overcame the guilt of having set his little brother up with a conceited jack ass, he was going to be out for blood. And being a senior executive for the entire company, and all of its branches, Gabriel had an arsenal for 'career homicide' at his disposal. Not to mention a twisted proclivity towards poetic justice.

Castiel was legitimately concerned that Gabriel would make Dick Roman disappear. The kind of disappear where there was no body to prove a crime was committed.

So, he held out for as long as he could, trying to let time ease the shock of the situation.

But, Gabriel had only feigned lack of interest. Two-thirds through a bottle a Jack Daniels- that Gabriel had insisted was to celebrate Castiel choosing his new condo- Gabriel had started asking subtle questions. It was only about ten minutes later that barely-drunk Gabriel was wrestling very-drunk Castiel for Gabriel's cell phone, to quote, 'Castrate that motherfucker so thoroughly he'll have to change his last name to Stub'.

In a last ditch effort to prevent his brother from possibly committing a premeditated murder, Castiel had dug deep and pulled forth his 'puppy-dog eyes'. Guaranteed to be Gabriel's kryptonite, he managed to drunkenly convince his older brother that there would always be 'Dicks' in the world , but that there were still plenty of other 'dicks' in the world.

After laughing uproariously at a joke Castiel wouldn't understand until the next morning, Gabriel had agreed to not take action against Dick. But, he insisted that he be allowed to make it up to Castiel that upcoming weekend.

Which was why Castiel was now locked in his office, hung-over, wearing Friday's clothes, AND why he probably had a warrant out for his arrest.

However, if the weekend could be considered a cake, then this morning would have been the icing on it.

After having woken up to the cold drizzle of rain on his face that morning, he quickly- and painfully- began to put the last two days together. After only a few vague flashes of horrifying memories, he immediately shut his memory function down and focused instead on the fact that he was going to be late to work, and could possibly still salvage some semblance of personal pride, and avoid the stereotypical lable of spoiled heir, if he could just manage to make it into his office.

As he forced his stiff muscles into action and clambered up from between the two bushes where he was wedged, he took in his surroundings. He vaguely recognized his location as being the expansive backyard of one of Gabriel's many country homes just outside the Lawrence city limits.

He also took in the fact that most of his fellow co-workers, specifically the higher-ups and the college interns, were sprawled, much as he had been, in various places and positions across the yard.

His mind tried to throw up some helpful memories to explain the strange situation, and Castiel fought hard to repress them, earning himself the beginnings of a nasty headache.

Hobbling quickly around to the front yard, he saw several cars parked haphazardly on the lawn. One he recognized immediately as the President of the Lawrence offices private company car. His pounding brain supplied bits of information slowly.

At some point last night, the rowdy group had raided the company car lot. Gabriel had helped himself into the key cabinet at the guard shack while the guard was 'investigating a strange noise' (a junior intern making fox noises), and proceeded to pass out keys. Naturally, he helped himself to the President's Audi, slurrily stating that 'rank had privileges'.

Castiel remembered assenting- mostly because President Crowley was a bastard- and hopping in as the fleet of company cars followed hazardously behind them.

Now gazing at the rain drizzling on the vehicle, Castiel took a brief moment to reflect hard on his life choices up to this point. His head protested. Then, he moved to check for the spare key that was always stashed in the visor.

Finding it, he quickly jumped into the driver seat-adjusting the seat position because Gabriel was significantly smaller than him- and left the disaster of Gabriel's country house behind.

He still had twenty minutes before he would technically be considered late for work, and was just passing into the city limits, when it happened.

Traffic was heavy as morning commuters made their way into the city for Monday work. The sudden downpour of rain was causing difficulty as other driver's attempted to navigate the slick roads.

Castiel had just gotten lucky, a long stretch of road opening up in front of him on the double-laned street, when the car in the right lane abruptly slammed on their breaks. Castiel had just enough time to see a small black shape dart from the right lane into his before he yanked his steering wheel hard to the left and slammed on his brakes.

If it hadn't been for the Audi jumping onto the raised median and sticking there, Castiel would probably have been rear ended hard. As the tow driver explained afterwards, aside from the bent axel and some minor superficial scratches on the undercarriage, the damage was actually much better than it could have been.

Castiel had ridden with the tow driver to the local auto shop, Singer's Auto and Salvage, where he listened to the owner, Bobby Singer himself, cover the costs and time it would take to repair. It was still early morning, and Mr. Singer was predicting at least two days before the car could be fixed.

Castiel hopelessly tried to explain how badly he needed to have the car repaired and returned as soon as possible. He felt comfortable- or at lest desperate- enough with the stern-looking older man to outline the entire fiasco of the 'sort of stolen' president's car, the need to make a positive impression at his new job, and the bad luck of a black cat nearly killing him.

The older man didn't even blink. In fact, he seemed to become more irritated as Castiel spoke.

After nearly fifteen minutes of shameless pleading, gratefully observing that no other mechanics were in sight to witness his begging, all Castiel could manage was to talk the man down to one day. And, technically, it was the exorbitant amount of money that did most of the talking.

Huffing a defeated sigh, and wincing as his headache gave a particularly painful throb, Castiel finally conceded. The man, Bobby, barely acknowledged Castiel's distress, and walked over to the main counter to check out a rental for him.

Castiel walked back to the tow truck that he had been picked up in by the young-looking mechanic from earlier to collect his soaked trench coat and other items.

When he turned and walked back toward the owner at the front desk, he saw the man's eyes land on what he was holding.

"What in the hell is that?" He asked, appearing more confused than angry.

Castiel frowned looking down at the wiggling ball of wet fur nestled in the folds of his bunched up trench coat, then back at the man.

"A very unlucky cat." He grumbled, instinctively pulling the small kitten in closer to his own body heat.

Bobby Singer had re-quoted the car repair for pick-up at noon that day.

.

..

...

And so now, at a quarter till noon, Castiel carefully poked his head out of his office, noting that only Charlie was sitting out in the secretaries desk area. She seemed hopeful when she noticed him finally emerging from his office. She opened her mouth to speak just as a small, fluffy black head popped up from the trench coat in his arms.

Castiel gave her credit for not immediately squealing. But, for a terrifying second Castiel was sure she was going to.

Before she could ask him about the now mewling form trying to claw its way out of its tan, cloth prison, Castiel quickly moved toward the elevator, whispering hurriedly under his breath, "Have you heard anything about the President's car?"

Charlie looked even more confused, eyes darting from her boss, down to the kitten losing its battle with the trench coat, and back up. "Uh…no?"

Castiel threw his head back with a heartfelt release of nervous breath and jumped into the elevator, praying that his newfound good luck would get him, and his tiny charge, out of the building unnoticed.

…-^o^-…

When Castiel arrived back at Singer's Auto Shop, he was just beginning to really feel the effects of his situation. His hangover had faded. He was damp. His clothes, despite being expensive and well-tailored, were extremely disheveled. He had no idea what he must look like after having partied all weekend, and woken up in bushes. It was like college all over again.

He compromised with his pride, and decided to wear his trench coat inside to hide his filthy suit. He would place the kitten into the car as soon as he got to it inside the open bay garage.

One of the mechanics, the name tag said 'Benny', went to pull Bobby and the paperwork out of the main office- only after staring intensely at Castiel and the feisty ball of wiggling fur he was barely managing to keep in his arms.

Castiel felt a huge wave of humiliation wash over him.

He must look deranged. He would never be able to live this down if word got out that he was the son of the ADA Founder. It was all fine for Gabriel to headline the scandal pages, but Castiel was content to keep his life private.

He forced himself to remain calm and collected. Everything was fine. He was getting the car, and would return it, apparently undamaged, back to the lot before Crowley even needed it.

Then he would drop the kitten, who was currently trying to eat his coat's wrist button, off at the local cat rescue.

It occurred to him that he should probably check in with Gabriel soon. If he wasn't unconscious on the premises of his country home, then he may be in the drunk tank at the Lawrence Police Department.

Yes, everything would be fine just as soon as he signed the paperwork and got the hell out of here.

Finally, he saw Mr. Singer emerge from the office, followed closely by the mechanic, who Castiel noticed was still staring at him, but with the hint of a smirk now.

At that same moment, he heard the loud banging of a door to his far left, and turned to see a skinny man with a ratty mullet emerge, followed closely by-

Castiel just barely managed to stop his jaw from dropping as a sparkling pair of bright green eyes locked on to his.

A/N: First impressions are my favorite. I am excited about writing the next chapter!

Next up:Our boys finally meet! Cas panics! Dean fishes for compliments. And Benny doesn't get it (but Ash and Bobby do).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up:  
> Our boys finally meet!  
> Cas panics!  
> Dean fishes for compliments.  
> And Benny doesn't get it (but Ash and Bobby do).


	3. Blue Eyes Meet Green

 

 

...-^o^-...

Dean's grin faltered immediately as his eyes locked onto a pair wide blue ones from across the garage. For a moment, he felt like the world slowed down around him as the stranger held his gaze.

Then, the man broke the spell, turning sharply away to greet Bobby as the older man arrived and began talking gruffly to him.

Dean was so thrown off guard by the immediate attention from the stranger that he almost missed the first words Benny was saying to them as he joined Dean and Ash by the vending area.

"Well, he's not the president, but definitely a high level suit." Benny drawled as he looked pointedly over at the stranger. They were at an advantage, the man having turned to face away as he fumbled around with whatever he was holding while trying to fill out the paperwork on the clipboard Bobby had thrown at him.

Dean stared appraisingly at his profile from the side. He understood Ash's assumption that the man was well-off. His clothing, despite looking crumpled and stained, were clearly well-tailored under the trench coat. His shoes, though scuffed and coated in layers of mud, still shined with polish. His tie was hanging loosely at his neck. He had a dark layer of stubble across his jaw. And his hair- Dean couldn't hold back a smirk- was pointing in every conceivable direction.

This stranger looked like he had just survived a wild weekend of booze, women and poor decisions and was doing the 'Walk of Shame' to return home.

Dean weighed his overwhelming dislike of the wealthy with his desire to congratulate a fellow hard-partier.

Before he could decide, Benny continued in a lowered voice, "From what little I could get at outta Bobby, the car may have been stolen, which explains the rush on it." The large man smiled widely, "Plus, I got in a word with Adam, who was coming off the night shift and towed him in earlier. Apparently, this guy nearly died trying to miss a cat in the road, then spent the next twenty minutes holding up traffic to catch the wet fuzzball. Adam reckons he's a nut job, for whatever that's worth."

Dean and Ash listened with growing grins on their faces. They had seen some crazy shit in their time at the auto shop, but the man in the well-tailored suit stealing his boss's car, wrecking it, and chasing a cat around in traffic was almost impossible to picture. It certainly didn't match up with Dean's image of stuck-up businessmen.

But then again, neither did bed-head and disheveled thousand dollar suits.

Over where Bobby and the man were standing, there seemed to be some kind of problem. The man kept nearly dropping the clipboard, and readjusting his hands. Bobby was looking on with a look of gruff annoyance, that Dean immediately recognized as the 'trying not to laugh and ruin his tough image' look.

Suddenly, the man completely dropped the clipboard, both hands darting up to his shoulder where a tiny black kitten had launched itself up and made a valiant attempt to jump off his back. The stranger barely caught the animal by it feet, but the creature dug its tiny claws in and refused to budge.

Ash was the first react, gleefully shouting "Kitty!" and running in long strides over to the where the stranger was contorting himself and his arms into crazy positions trying to keep hold of the animal.

Benny chuckled from beside Dean, and looked over to meet his eyes, "I figure this poor bastard's had his fair share of grief for today. What do you say we take it easy on him, and just double-up the misery for the next rich jack ass that comes in?"

Dean glanced back over to where the man was frozen in place as Ash made to remove the feisty kitten claw by claw.

The stranger looked worn-out, and defeated, like this embarrassing episode was was just one more on a long list. Dean felt a twang of sympathy for the man. He could relate to the feeling, the image of Lisa's pitying face flashing painfully through his mind.

"Yeah," Dean shrugged, remembering the wide blue eyes that had just been locked onto his, "It would feel like kicking a puppy." He chuckled to himself, and walked alongside Benny to join the group.

…-^o^-…

The moment the green eyes had met his, Castiel's calm immediately dissipated into sheer schoolboy terror.

His mind flipped through his appearance critically, everything from his stained coat, wrinkled suit, and scruffy facial hair. It would have been fine if just Bobby Singer was there. The scowling older man had already bore witness to his shame earlier that morning. He wasn't the problem. Neither was Benny, the dark haired smirking man with the southern accent, or even the strange mulleted man.

The problem was a pair of bright green eyes and snug fitting coveralls.

Castiel could face embarrassment gracefully. He had perfected calm in the face of mortifying situations early in life. It was practically a survival trait when growing up with Gabriel's antics.

He thought he had been prepared to face the mocking stares in the auto shop, knowing that he would be out and away, never to return as soon as he got the Audi keys.

But, here he stood, facing the embodiment of every wet dream he had ever had in his life, knowing full-well that he looked like a drowned sewer rat.

He could have curled up in a ball and died right there on the oil-splattered garage floor.

Realizing that he had been blatantly staring, Castiel ripped his eyes from the handsome face, his embarrassment growing exponentially by the second. Bobby Singer began barking something about the details of the repair, but all Castiel could hear was his inner voice shouting at him to run away.

His attention never really left the man across the garage. He was painfully aware of green eyes on him and the fact that all three mechanics were talking in low voices, and looking in his direction.

At some point, Bobby handed him a clipboard with paperwork on it. The distraction of trying to juggle a clipboard and pen in one hand and a squirming kitten in the other managed to take precedence over his racing mind's various imagined conversations that the three men could be having about him.

Oh, God. Please let me get out of here without making an even bigger fool out of myself in front of the sexy mechanic. Please, please, please.

God must have had some qualms with Castiel's actions over the last weekend, because at that exact moment, the kitten made a bid for freedom.

It must have been the terror of more embarrassment that fueled Castiel's body into action. Before he even realized that he had made a grab, he felt the tiny kicking legs of the kitten in his hands. He had only a second to mentally celebrate his quick save, before he felt the kitten's tiny claws digging into the thick fabric of the trench coat. Castiel desperately tried to reach his other arm around, afraid to lose his already tenuous grip on the tiny limbs.

He heard a loud shout from the direction of the mechanics, and the mullet-haired man, 'Ash' Castiel read the name tag of his sleeveless coveralls, was suddenly beside him, carefully unhinging the mewling animal from it's perch.

He listened intently as 'Ash' coached him through the process. The guy sounded like a stewardess calmly discussing how to buckle an aircraft's seat belts. It was a huge contrast to his redneck appearance, Castiel noted as he took in the man's rugged appearance.

After only a short minute of careful extraction, the kitten was being held by Ash, as Castiel muttered an embarrassed "thanks", and proceeded to fill out the rest of the paperwork at lightning speed. He was now desperate to escape the garage and never show his face around here again.

Unable to stop himself, Castiel's eyes darted helplessly over to where the handsome mechanic was standing, only to see that he and the other mechanic, Benny, were walking straight towards him.

Castiel felt his brain shut down. His eyes dropped to the paperwork in front of him, trying to look as if he was reading it intently.

"It's a damn good thing that little fellow didn't get away from you," Benny drawled out in a thick southern accent, "There're coyotes all over this area at night."

Castiel couldn't stop his eyes from snapping up to meet the man's, alarm suddenly coursing through him.

Benny continued, grinning, "Word is, you spent a long time trying to save that little critter from being roadkill this morning. It sure would be a shame if he managed to survive all that only to be eaten by wild animals."

Castiel stared hard at the man as he spoke, trying to discern whether he was joking with him or chiding him for being irresponsible. He couldn't tell for sure, but the others were all snorting as if it were a joke.

The man suddenly broke into a full smile, and reached out, slapping Castiel roughly across the back. "Don't look so upset, friend," He laughed, "Ash here is practically a cat-whisperer. Your little friend wouldn't have made it far."

Castiel furrowed his brow, trying to regain his sense of bearing on the conversation. This was exactly why he avoided social situations. Gabriel would know exactly the right way to respond. All Castiel could do was stare mutely as the inevitable awkward silence settled in around them.

Thankfully, that's when Bobby interrupted, "If you all have time to stand here chit-chatting like school girls, I can find you something more productive to do."

Benny and Ash reacted to the threat immediately, Ash grudgingly handing the kitten back to Castiel, before both men headed back to the other side of the garage.

Green Eyes, who had been standing quietly a few feet to Castiel's left, stayed where he was, and finally spoke up, his voice rolling like a smooth surface of a stream through Castiel's mind. "Oh, come on Bobby. I just busted my ass to get this guy's Audi fixed up by noon. I think I should have an opportunity to meet the man and cat that caused me so much work on a Monday."

Castiel could hear the grin in the man's voice, but was too mortified to look up at the speaker. Instead, he kept his eyes turned down at the now-finished paperwork in his hands, keeping the kitten wedged tightly in his other arm.

So, Castiel thought, Green Eyes got stuck fixing his mess. Just perfect.

Bobby huffed out a derisive snort and said accusingly, "If you're fishing for compliments, son, you'd best look somewhere else. You took twice as long as you should've fixin' that axel, and it would've been even longer if I hadn't snapped you out of your daydreaming every five minutes."

Castiel kept his wide eyes dutifully trained on the paper, embarrassed to be the cause of the bickering. Green Eyes, however, didn't seem affected by the older man's tone in the least.

"Aw, c'mon, Bobby. You know I need constant compliments from the customers to make me sleep better at night." He laughed as Bobby snorted, then suddenly he was addressing Castiel.

"What do you say…" The man leaned in close to Castiel, who tried not to flinch with surprise at the closeness. The man smelled like motor oil, sweat and sex, and Castiel had to fight back hard on the urge to inhale the scent deeply. God, he needed to escape before he really embarrassed himself.

The man seemed to look at the paperwork for a moment, then continued, "…Ca-sti-el, huh? Well, Castiel? Do you think you can help a guy out and feed my ego? Or do you reserve your heroic acts just for lost kittens?" He laughed out loud his own joke, and Castiel made the mistake of looking up as he did so.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

A small whine tried force it's way up and out of Castiel's throat, but he swallowed it down desperately.

The close rumble of the man's laugh mixed with the brightness of his perfect smile and glowing green eyes sent a bolt of arousal straight through Castiel's body. He felt the beginning of erection forming. The panic of the man's closeness and his heavy scent were like a double whammy.

Castiel tried to wrench his eyes away- anywhere but back to the beautiful green ones.

His mistake was to force them down.

Standing only a few feet away, he now had a close-up of the leanly muscled shoulders and torso, tapering into a firm lower body that was accentuated by the tight coveralls.

Oh, shit. Abort! His brain was screaming.

Dragging his eyes quickly back up in a light-headed panic, and hoping that his once-over had gone unnoticed, his eyes settled onto the man's name-tag.

'Dean'.

The name bounced around the walls of Castiel's brain, where the rest of his thoughts should have been.

Dean.

His brain, desperately fighting the rush of blood to his cock, couldn't strum together any words. At a complete loss for what to do, and increasingly aware of the awkwardly growing silence, Castiel finally managed to choke out a barely audible, "Thank you, Dean." Then, he practically shoved the finished paperwork at Bobby, and asked with a voice that he hoped didn't sound breathless, "Can I have the keys now?"

Bobby grunted an 'I reckon', scooping the Audi keys from his coverall pockets.

Castiel practically snatched them up, and spun around to hurry away. Suddenly realizing how ungrateful he must look, he managed to stop himself and turn stiffly back to face the two men.

"Thank you very much for your hard work today. You, uh, really saved me. I appreciate it." Seeing the matching looks of confusion and humor on the men's faces, he added quickly, "If I hurry, I may make it back before they realize the car is missing. Thanks again."

And praying that the lame excuse would cover for his strange behavior and rushed exit, Castiel quickly ducked into the vehicle waiting just outside and placed the squirming cat into the seat beside him.

He hoped no one noticed the sound of the tires kicking up gravel as he sped away from the garage.

…-^o^-…

Dean listened as the sound of flying gravel came from just outside the garage with a grin spreading over his face.

He turned to Bobby, who was frowning to himself, his mouth a thin line under his beard.

"Kind of a weird guy, huh?" Dean remarked, nodding in the direction the stranger had left.

Bobby just grunted.

"It's rare for you to rush an order for a rich smuck." Dean grinned as Bobby turned his sharp eyes on Dean finally. "Don't tell me you're getting soft, old man?"

Bobby let out a loud snort, before saying, "Don't you have work to do?"

Dean chuckled, somehow feeling much better than he had earlier. The weird businessmen, Castiel, had managed to give Dean a small sense of perspective. Even the rich apparently had to deal with some tough shit. Dean would have loved to hear the strange guy tell his story in his own words. Maybe they would have a chance to meet up again and Dean would be able to ask him...

Dean sincerely hoped Castiel managed to work everything out. He felt an odd sense of attachment to the haggard looking man in the trench coat.

Walking back to the workbench where the CD player was, Dean smiled as he turned the volume knob up. A few minutes later he was leaning into the hood of a car, humming loudly to ACDC.

…-^o^-…

Ash and Benny, who had been under strict orders from Sam to watch Dean closely today, noted the shift in Dean's mood. Even if Dean had valiantly tried to hide his somber mood from them, they could easily tell, like Sam, that Dean was hit hard by the news about Lisa that morning.

Now, they watched as the Winchester's hips swung comically side to side in tune with the music while he worked on the engine inside the car.

Ash turned to Benny with a smile and said, "Well, Bro, I guess we can stand down the Fire and Police Departments."

"I don't know..." Benny hummed, glancing carefully at Dean. "One sad bastard comes in looking like he barely survived the weekend, and suddenly our boy is okay with his ex being engaged? I don't see how that adds up."

Ash looked at Benny critically, a smile planted on his face. "Oh, so you didn't notice?"

Benny frowned and looked from Dean back to Ash. "I didn't notice what?"

Ash gave a world-wise chuckle as he strolled slowly away. "Bobby," he called toward the office, "you noticed, right?"

From somewhere in the office, I short grunt of assent was heard.

"Noticed what?" Benny repeated, growing more frustrated.

Ash ignored him and continued toward the back of the garage. Benny heard him mutter in his excited way to himself, "It's unexpected, but we can make this work, I think. It's going to be tough to arrange…."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up:  
> The kitten cockblocks Cas.  
> Castiel reflects on his last love-failure.  
> A harpy attacks (sort of).


	4. Oh, Gabriel, Where Art Thou?

 

...-^o^-...

Castiel made a straight shot from the auto shop to his new condo across town. The humiliation of being seen in such a miserable state by the man Castiel had now mentally dubbed 'Dean, the super-sexy mechanic', finally overwhelmed all of his other concerns.

Fuck returning Crowley's car.

And screw Gabriel, wherever the Hell he washed up this morning.

And the kitten….

Castiel sent a disappointed glare in the direction of the small creature mewling loudly from the passenger seat floorboard. "Don't you act innocent with me," he mumbled lowly to the kitten, "The hell was that back there? You're like the worst wingman ever…."

The kitten blinked up at him and yawned widely.

Castiel released a frustrated sigh. Here he was blaming a freaking kitten for potentially cock-blocking him. From an almost definitely straight man.

God, his life was a disaster.

Castiel parked the car and raced with the kitten up to his apartment. The moving crew had delivered his things last week, and he was mostly unpacked at this point.

Unsure of what to do with the kitten in his 'unkitten-proof' apartment, he decided to bring the animal with him into the large bathing room, shutting the door behind him. A quick glance around turned up nothing that Castiel considered dangerous for a small animal.

He stripped fast, anxious to be out of the damp and musty clothing at last. They dropped heavily to the floor as the kitten explored around his feet.

The moment the hot water hit him, it was like the rest of the world didn't matter. He moaned loudly, feeling the tension release throughout his entire body.

Well, almost entire body, he mused with a small frown.

He was still sporting a mild erection from his meeting earlier in the garage. Really, what was a man who looked like that doing turning wrenches all day? There were so many other wonderful things he could be doing with those hands-

He shut down that dangerous train of thought quickly.

Castiel pointedly ignored his semi-rigid cock as he deep scrubbed his entire body, basking in the clean smell of soaps and shampoo.

But, after finally rinsing off completely, he faced the big question: How to handle it. It was uncomfortable, and the washing and scrubbing had done nothing to ease it.

The idea of masturbating to the image of an unknowing stranger was off-putting to Castiel. It felt wrong. Shameful... Too much like a stalker, taking advantage of the man.

Nothing good could come from it, he tried half-heartedly to convince himself.

He stood in the shower, hands pressed against the wall in front of him, leaning forward as the warm water poured over him, and let his mind wander.

Light green eyes meeting his from a distance.

The warm, honey voice playfully teasing.

The way the fucking coveralls hugged every tan muscle of his body, hinting at the golden masterpiece underneath.

Castiel slowly allowed his hands to drop from the wall and smooth their way gently over his body- a brief stop to caress his nipples, a few teasing strokes down his firm stomach, and lower.

A loud CRASH! shattered the air from the other side of the foggy glass shower pane.

Castiel's body tensed, his hands twitching just inches from his aching member. He let out a slow hiss of frustration.

Sliding the glass panel back, he took stock. The various bottles and containers that had lined the counter of his ornate bathroom sink were strewn across the floor- several still rolling.

At the top of the sink, the master cock-block itself was chewing on several cue tips. The little creature perked up at seeing Castiel staring from the open shower.

They both held each other's stare. Castiel tilted his head to the side. The kitten mimicked.

Finally, Castiel's voice cut through the silence low and accusing, "You're doing this on purpose."

The kitten mewled innocently and turned back to chewing on the cue tips.

Castiel shut the shower door more forcefully than necessary, but the private moment was already over. With a small growl, he turned the water temperature knob to ice-cold.

It took fifteen minutes, and absolute concentration on anything except cars and the color green to force the erection to finally subside.

…-^o^-…

Castiel decided that there would be too many questions if he showed up at the company car lot driving the missing vehicle. He opted instead to leave it in the small parking lot used by the oncoming guards at the start of their shifts. He figured the guards would spot it immediately and handle the matter quietly amongst themselves. Nobody particularly wanted to be on CRowley's bad-side, so he felt confident that self-preservation would be at the forefront of their minds. At least, he hoped as much...

He then proceeded to sneak as carefully as possible into the building, the small feline tucked in his dark blue jacket, and took the stairs up the ninth floor where his office was located.

The little creature had meowed the entire ride to the building in the Audi and all the way up the stairs to his office, earning him confused stares from the now occupied secretaries desks- with the exception of Charlie, who smiled knowingly and winked.

Castiel couldn't bother to care about the strange looks the women were shooting him as he darted past. It wasn't as if the man of his wet-dreams hadn't already witnessed him at his worst already today. At least now, if any more men that were built like greek gods crossed his path, he wouldn't look and smell like he had slept in a liquor store dumpster overnight.

Castiel shut his office door and collapsed into his desk chair, pitching forward to rest his pounding head in his hands. The scene at the auto shop kept replaying in his mind, forcing him to relive his humiliation.

What a horrible way to meet people. It was like the mortifying series of events had happened to someone else, and Castiel was watching from the outside.

He was NEVER going to be able to show his face in that auto shop again. NEVER be able to meet the warm green eyes, and see the bright smile crinkling the man's face again. NEVER be able to know if those lush lips were as soft and warm as they looked. Never be able grasp that tight looking ass….

The image had an immediate affect on Castiel. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, using all the willpower at his disposal to banish the lingering hardness in his cock. Again.

A month, he thought.

It had barely been one month since he got laid last. Grant it, it had been a quick and dull hook-up with Dick, scheduled a day in advance to avoid conflicting with the other man's 'busy schedule'.

But, it was still something. Hell, he had gone over three years without sex before that. It had been rough, but he had survived with just the occasional solo performance.

Now, he was practically daydream-humping a complete stranger in his shower less than an hour after setting eyes on him.

This is ridiculous, he thought mournfully. Odds were 1 in 1000 that 'Dean, the super-sexy mechanic' was even gay. Not to mention single. Castiel let out humorless laugh. No way someone like THAT was single.

He flashed back to the garage, trying to remember if there had been a ring. He realized belatedly that it didn't matter if he had not been wearing one. Surely he would take a wedding band off while working on cars all day.

Castiel moaned into his hands, hating that he was doing this to himself again. It happened every time.

Castiel's entire adult life had been like a bad record skipping over the same tune. Excited when an attractive stranger appeared. Sweet as Castiel let his hopes and emotions overrun his good sense. Sharp and fast as he was faced with their inevitable straightness. Slow and hopeless as Castiel watched from afar while the man of his affection found happiness elsewhere. And repeat.

He thought he was over this childish behavior. He had swore to himself that unrequited love interests were behind him. Now he was mature, and in control of his emotions. He could make realistic assessments- reign in his interests in to only men who were openly gay and single. Men who would return his feelings.

Men who wanted him and weren't concerned about gossip or social stigmas.

Men like Dick.

Castiel cringed, groaning loudly at the thought of his last 'mature gay love interest'.

Yeah, that had worked out great, he chided himself.

In an effort to force thoughts of sexy mechanics and lameass-ex's from his mind, Castiel focused on the more immediate problems.

For starters, the kitten had just used his fake tree on the far wall as an impromptu restroom. He was now sniffing around the large office making pathetic mewling sounds.

Castiel stared down at the animal. He had never really had a pet before, and certainly not a cat.

It dawned on him that little creature was probably hungry and thirsty.

With a sudden jolt of guilt, Castiel jumped from his chair and began throwing open drawers and cabinets, casting frequent stares in the small kitten's direction, as if it would fall over from hunger at any second.

Coming up empty in his search for food in the new office, he quickly moved to the door and poked his head out.

The three women were glancing worriedly at his office door, no doubt alarmed by the long silence followed suddenly by the banging sounds of opening and closing drawers.

Castiel put on his best possible smile, hoping he didn't look as maniacal as he felt, and proceeded to fumble his way through a lie, "I…I seem to have forgotten to eat lunch today. I don't suppose any of you have something…?"

All three women's faces broke into relaxed smiles, and they began opening the drawers of their desks and producing items.

Charlie laid out a huge assortment of candies, including a party size bag of snickers, half-empty.

Castiel frowned at it from his office door and shook his head. He was sure that chocolate was not good for animals.

The other two women did better.

Anna, another red-head with a completely different personality from Charlie laid out her items with a quiet smile. She always had a pleasant smile on her face, Castiel noted, and rarely spoke to people unless they addressed her directly. It was calming to Castiel, who was still recovering from his past experiences with lousy secretaries.

Beside her, Jess was also covering her desk with snacks. Yet another godsend, Jess was more active and talkative, but still very kind and job oriented.

Castiel's eyes took in the large array of food, mostly chips and candies. Jess had produced a large (and expensive looking) box of fine chocolates, which covered the entire right side of her desk.

The rest of the group stared at her and back to the box.

Jess blushed brightly, trying to hide an embarrassed smile.

Castiel's eyes returned searchingly to the desks, and spotted a tuna and cracker snack pack.

"Tuna pack!" he shouted, with too much excitement, he realized, when the women's eyes widened. He tried to tone down his enthusiasm before calmly pointing and restating, "Anna, may I have that tuna pack?"

Anna nodded gently, walking the the snack to where Castiel stood in the opening of the office door. Before she could reach him, a small shape leapt out from the office and froze between the two of them. Castiel reacted fast, diving forward and wrapping his hands around the small kitten in a split second.

There was a brief moment of stunned silence from the three women, followed by a loud chorus of 'ooohs' and 'aaawwws' and 'what a cutie'.

Castiel quickly signaled the women to keep their voices down, nervously looking towards the other offices in his area.

Charlie noticed his fearful glances and pointed out, "No one else but you made it in this morning- not even the interns. A few of them called late to say they were sick, but most are still missing in action. And Ruby, upstairs, has been asking around if anyone has seen your brother, Gabriel. Apparently he hasn't checked-in at all today, either."

Castiel remembered the scene from this morning, noting that, yes, he had recognized coworkers from his office amongst the unconscious bodies strewn out across Gabriel's back yard.

Good lord, he thought, they were probably not used to Gabriel's wild weekends. He felt a flash of pity for the poor bastards.

He shrugged the feeling off, relieved to discover that the only witnesses to his horrible day were just the smiling secretaries in front of him. He relaxed, and faced the women. "I, uh, I don't suppose any one of you would like to keep this little guy?"

All three shook their heads sadly, casting remorseful glances at both Castiel and the black ball of fur wriggling in his hands.

He huffed a sigh, and accepted the proffered tuna snack from Anna. Bidding the ladies farewell to return to their work, he reentered the office.

Castiel watched as the tiny cat ate enthusiastically, planting its entire face into the can and barely coming up for air. Castiel fought back a chuckle, still remembering the little creature's consistently piss-poor timing over the course of the day.

Pulling his attention away from the hungry kitten, he googled a map for the nearest cat rescue. He found one quickly and was relieved to see that they would be open when he got off work later.

Content that the cat issue would be resolved by the end of the day, Castiel focused his attentions onto a much more difficult task.

Locating Gabriel.

…-^o^-…

Charlie smiled to herself at her desk. Castiel was anything but boring, and she loved that about the guy. Despite his usually serious appearance and intense stares, he was actually extremely laid back and considerate. Not what she had expected from an ADA heir, and least of all Gabriel's brother. The incredible contrast between the two men was a topic of much gossip throughout the building.

Where Gabriel was lacking in physical appearance, he made up for it with impressive presence and an 'impossible to hate' attitude. The guy could, and given the opportunity would, swoon the pants off any woman he spoke to. And even men were inexplicably drawn to his charisma.

The little guy was a fire cracker of energy, and had the near-magical ability to get along with absolutely anyone. He was regarded by the media as a eccentric playboy, but endearingly so.

Castiel, on the other hand, was extremely reserved and quiet. He handled work, social situations, and even his snack choices at the vending machines with a heavy consideration.

And, according to the few lucky women who had managed to steal a word with him, 'when he looked at you with those deep blue eyes, you felt like he could see right through to your soul'.

Charlie snorted, grinning at the description. She had been dutifully fending off horny office women since the first day Castiel arrived. Some she had even threatened with physical violence to get them to back off. It seemed like all Castiel had to do was smile and mumble a 'hello' at a random woman in the elevator, and suddenly an army of high-heeled Amazonians were descending on the ninth floor, desperate for equal attention from the blue-eyed hottie.

Charlie wasn't sure if they were more attracted to his good looks, or his wealth. It was a pretty close tie….

She would have been more distressed by the constant confrontations she had to handle, but the fact that Castiel was confirmed as gay, and completely oblivious to the attention, cracked her up something terrible.

To her left, she noted, Anna was gazing distantly at the door to Castiel's office.

THAT was far less amusing, Charlie thought.

She liked Anna. Anna wasn't pretentious or catty like the majority of women working at ADA. She was quiet and always happy to be helpful.

And she was apparently harboring a hopeless one-sided crush for Castiel.

It was so sincere and sweet that Charlie had been losing sleep about whether or not to break it to her that he wasn't likely to be interested. He had mentioned during their brief chats that he had been Bi through most of college, but Charlie was confident that he had settled into being fully-gay at this point in his life. She had way of knowing these things... even if he wasn't aware of it himself.

Charlie glanced over at the far desk where Jess sat, very un-subtly grinning as she texted on her phone.

Then there was THIS chick, Charlie mentally rolled her eyes, but smiled.

Jess was so obnoxiously in love with her 'mystery man' that Charlie was afraid of accidentally drowning in the excess cuteness. She and her Prince Charming had been dating for four months of absolute bliss and butterflies, and unicorns, etc. Charlie had been waiting for the inevitable end of the 'honeymoon phase' of their relationship. Instead, it was like volcano spewing higher, and building upon itself.

Based off what Jess shared with her during their girl-talks, her boyfriend was the sexiest, most intelligent and thoughtful man in the history of his gender.

Charlie wasn't even into dudes, but she was itching to catch a peak at Mr. Perfect. Just to offer some objective perspective, of course.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the light ding of the elevator arriving.

Ruby, Gabriel's secretary, emerged, looking like a harpy out for the kill.

Here we go, Charlie thought with a deep breath.

"Where is Mr. Novak?" Ruby practically hissed, angrily flipping her long bleach blond hair from her face.

"And, would that be the elder Mr. Novak, or the younger?" Charlie asked in her most sarcastic professional tone. She fought not to smirk as Ruby glared at her.

"Well, since I am damn sure that the 'elder' Mr. Novak has dropped off the face of the fucking planet, I am referring instead to his younger brother." Her voice grated as she spoke of her missing boss.

Charlie felt a small twang of sympathy for the woman. Gabriel went through secretaries the same way he did candy- quickly and unapologetically. Most had very violent breakdowns.

Ruby looked like she was about to follow suit...

The craziest thing of it all? Gabriel absolutely adored Ruby. She had lasted longer than any of his previous secretaries, mostly because every time she had threatened to quit, Gabriel had personally convinced her to stay on.

That was just part of his charm- he found the best qualities in everybody. Apparently, he thought her habit of chucking the nearest heavy or sharp objects at him in a rage was endearing and he would miss it terribly if she left. Charlie didn't think that was the building block for a healthy relationship, but she was willing to accept it as it was.

Unfortunately for Ruby, she had a bad habit of picking on Anna and trash talking both Jess and Charlie every chance she had. They had bad-blood between them, and Charlie wasn't the type to be intimidated easily. She squashed the small spark of pity, and proceeded to turn bitch-mode up to full blast.

"And do you have an appointment with Mr. Novak, the younger?" She asked sweetly.

Ruby's nostrils flared, and her eye twitched. Charlie began to worry that the nervous breakdown was closer than she had first thought. She slowly edged her cup of sharpened pencils out of the woman's reach.

"You listen to me you flaming lesbo-" she began to grit out, but was immediately cut short by both Jess and Anna jumping to their feet in offense.

Charlie was flattered by their show of loyalty, however unneeded it was. She rose gracefully from her seat, smiling at Ruby, who was quickly realizing that she was outnumbered AND on their turf.

Charlie smiled her brightest smile, holding eye-contact with the woman as she began backing up cautiously. "Mr. Novak, the younger, is having an important lunch meeting in his office. He is not available to waste his time helping you do your job. I suggest you run along, now, before Crowley realizes that he can upgrade from you, to a tracking collar, and save money."

Ruby's eyes slid angrily to each of the women. For a moment, she seemed as if she was going to speak.

Charlie cocked one eyebrow up, and stared her down.

After a few seconds of tense silence, Ruby made the wise decision an retreated with a condescending huff.

Then, she proceeded to look like an idiot as she furiously pushed the elevator up button and waited for it to arrive while the other women watched in no small amount of amusement.

As soon as the door finally shut behind her, Jess and Charlie erupted into loud laughter. Even Anna managed a small chuckle.

As they were laughing and chatting about how ridiculous Ruby was, the phone at Charlie's desk began to ring.

She answered it, wiping a tear from her eye. "ADA Concept Management and Utilization Office, desk of Castiel Novak, how may I help you sir or ma'am?"

The two other women watched as Charlie frowned into the phone, then cast a nervous glance at Castiel's office door.

"Yes, Captain, I'll let him know immediately." She put down the phone with a pained grimace and made her way to the door. After a firm knock, she stuck her head in and spoke. "Um, boss? The Lawrence Police Captain just called. He says you need to come pick up your brother again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Where has Gabriel been hiding?
> 
> How pissed off is his secretary, Ruby?
> 
> Cas meets cat ladies.
> 
> And who is Jess's mystery man?


	5. Cops and Cat Ladies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for the Kudos so far! It's great to see a few of you from FF.net over here! I really appreciate the support. And for the rest of you who are reading this for the first time- thanks for taking the time to drop in and check it out! The story is just beginning to pick up pace, so I hope you continue enjoying it.

When Charlie had first told him that the police had his brother, he suspected that Gabriel was sobering up in the local P.D.'s drunk tank. So, after a rushed cab ride to his apartment to pick up his car and swap himself and the protesting kitten into it, Castiel drove straight over.

After only a month in Lawrence, Castiel already knew the route and the best parking spots. He was also on first name terms with most of the police officers. Gabriel didn't so much 'brush with the law', as much as 'cozied up to it'.

Walking into the main lobby, with the kitten in tow, he was greeted brightly by the duty officer.

"Castiel, I feel like it's been forever since you last dropped in." The attractive older brunette behind the counter smiled knowingly at Castiel. Sergeant Jody Mills was one of the first people he had met in Lawrence upon his arrival, and frequently offered a sympathetic ear for Castiel to vent following Gabriel's constant antics.

Castiel frowned thoughtfully at her remark, and nodded, "Yes, last weekend, wasn't it? A whole week is an impressive length of time by Gabriel's standards."

He watched as Sergeant Mills laughed and then nodded to the kitten. "So, what's going on there?"

Castiel's frown deepened and he let out an exasperated sigh. "It's...complicated. Am I okay taking it back with me?"

Sergeant Mills gave him a motherly smile and nodded, then reached beside her. A loud buzz and click sounded, signaling the heavy metal door to his left was temporarily unlocked.

He thanked her and quickly passed through into the long hallway that led past the many offices and cubicle clusters, and ultimately to the 'officer only' entry-way to the temporary-housing cell block also known as 'Intake'. That was where the drunk tank was situated. It was a large open cell where they fit the arrested personnel together, designed to act as temporary detainment for non-violent or non-serious offenses. And Gabriel. The more serious criminal offenders were always taken directly to the county jail.

The last time Castiel had arrived at the station to pick up Gabriel, the man had been leading his fellow drunkards in a rousing chorus of 'Friends in Low Places'. Several of the officers were singing merrily along, as well. The officers and even the drunkards had stopped immediately at the sight of Castiel's heated glower, leaving Gabriel slurring his way through the rest of the chorus solo.

Now, as he carried the kitten down the hall, several officers and clerks called out cheerful greetings to him. Castiel returned their greetings solemnly, and thought, not for the first time, that he was already better acquainted with the Lawrence Police staff than with most of his own co-workers at the ADA office.

That thought was hardly surprising. Most of Castiel's birthday parties and other celebrations growing up had featured a heavy police presence. It was practically impossible not to build friendships with the local officers when Gabriel treated the police department as his second home.

Castiel continued forward, making his way down the long stretch to the controlled door at the end with the large 'Intake' sign, which led to the holding and cell area.

He was stopped by a deep voice calling out to him from the Captain's office. Looking that way, he saw the police captain, Rufus, beckoning him into his office with a wave.

As soon as he entered, his eyes immediately fell upon his brother- shirtless- with his back turned toward the door. A tall, gangly officer was applying some sort of lotion onto several small, red markings on his back.

"Oooh! Is that Cassie!?" Gabriel shouted gleefully from where he was seated facing away on the couch.

Castiel ignored him, and turned to Rufus, "I was expecting him to be locked up again."

Rufus, after an appraising glance at the kitten in Castiel's arms, let out a breathy chuckle before moving to take his seat behind the large wooden desk.

"Not this time. It seems your brother decided that he wanted to 'party' with Officer Garth at three a.m. this morning. When Garth failed to answer his phone, Gabriel tried to let himself into his house through one of the windows at the back. Garth woke up to the noise of someone breaking into his house and went downstairs armed with his taser-"

"He tasered me, Cassie! Can you believe that?" Gabriel pouted.

Officer Garth looked abashedly to Castiel and shrugged, "I think it was a good, practical lesson in taser usage. And breaking and entering." He nodded sagely to himself.

"I...I don't understand," Castiel stated in confusion, "If that happened early this morning, why is he just now being treated?"

"Oh, well," Garth began, "after I tased him, we both thought it would be really cool to watch Youtube videos of tasings- you know, for science. And, we figured, beer goes good with taser videos. Then, next thing we know, it's time for me to start sobering up for my afternoon shift. But, once the alcohol began wearing off, Gabe here really started to feel the sting from the prongs-"

"Wait," Castiel interrupted, looking at all three men as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You left the prongs stuck in Gabriel's back the entire morning while you drank and watched videos on the internet...?"

"Hells yeah, we did!" Gabriel chirped excitedly exchanging a fist-bump with Garth. Castiel sent Garth a steely glare, knocking the man's smirk off his face and replacing it with a look a repentance.

Castiel turned to glance at the captain incredulously, as if he could find some sense in all this.

Rufus just shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I don't know what to say, Castiel. The two of them showed up about an hour ago at the on-call nurse station. But don't worry, Officer Garth and I are going to be having a very long discussion about proper tasering procedures," he turned his stern glare on the thin man before returning to Castiel's, "But, I think we can count this as a small victory as far as Gabriel is concerned. This may be the first weekend since he moved here that he hasn't been arrested, hospitalized, or found passed out naked in ditch next to a burning liquor store by the fire department."

"Whoot, whoot!" celebrated Gabriel excitedly as he slowly began to don his damp and ragged shirt.

Castiel tried to keep his face blank as Rufus spoke, remembering the wreckage at Gabriel's country house. It seemed that the past weekend's many excursions had apparently gone unnoticed by the authorities so far.

After a tense several seconds, Castiel muttered, "Thank you very much, Captain. I'll take my brother from here. I apologize for the inconvenience he has caused." Rufus grunted and waved him off, then turned to his computer to work.

Gabriel finally stood and turned from his position on the couch to beam up at Castiel, when he caught sight of the kitten. "Oh, Cassie! You shouldn't have-! It's just what I always wanted!"

He bounced over and made a grab for the furry creature, but Castiel acted quickly, dodging and holding the kitten out of range. "Absolutely NOT," he said infusing his voice with rare fierceness that allowed for no argument. Gabriel put on his most betrayed look and drooped his shoulders. Castiel was not fooled. "You can't even manage to take care of yourself without constant supervision. You are NOT capable of caring for kitten." He stepped out of the frame of the doorway, signaling with one hand for Gabriel to exit so they could leave.

Gabriel sighed and dragged his feet dramatically as he left the office. Castiel didn't bother feeling bad about treating his brother strictly- Gabriel always bounced back quickly.

Garth followed them out to the main lobby, where he said his good-byes.

"We're still on for the concert Friday, right Gabe?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Gabriel's eyes immediately lit back up. "Abso-freakin-lutely! You said you have a ticket for Cassie, too, right?"

Castiel frowned, "Hold on. What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, so, it's going to be awesome!" Garth grinned widely, "Some friends of mine have this band, called Colt, and they do covers for all the greatest songs ever. They are performing at the Road House downtown this Friday. I know the bar owner and the band members, so I have free tickets and a booth reserved. Gabe already said you and him were down."

Castiel looked sharply over at his older brother, who was smiling and nodding at Garth's words. "I don't think I'll be able to make it, Garth. Sorry. This last weekend was…rough." He glared harder at his oblivious brother. "I don't plan on partying again for-"

Gabriel spoke up at this point, pushing Castiel toward the doors, "You just save those spots for us, buddy. We'll be there!"

Castiel barely managed to wave a hurried good-bye to Garth, and Sergeant Mills behind the counter, before he found himself back outside in front of the police department.

Castiel immediately rounded on his brother, "Do you have any idea the amount of problems you have caused people today? Whole office floors are either missing or called in sick. I woke up in some bushes in one of your backyards. The place looked like a bomb had gone off. Bodies were everywhere."

Gabriel had the nerve to chuckle. "Yeah, things got a little crazy after we hit up the Russian bar Saturday night. It's a good thing you have such a steady poker face when you're wasted." He patted Castiel's shoulder and continued to chuckle as he reminisced. "Plus, Anton's got a thing for you. Hey-maybe you should look into that! He seems like a great guy, and I bet he's packing a huge-"

"-this is not a joke, Gabriel!" Castiel interrupted, becoming more furious at his brother's nonchalance, "I wrecked the President's car this morning trying to get it back before he noticed."

Gabriel's face immediately turned serious, and he cast panicked eyes over his little brother, searching for signs of injury. "Were you hurt? How bad was it?"

Castiel let out a deep sigh as his brother started groping him hurriedly, as if he would find a hubcap lodged in his stomach. "I'm fine, Gabriel. And I got the car repaired and returned before lunch ended. I think we are in the clear."

He intentionally hedged around mentioning the Auto Shop, or 'super-sexy mechanic, Dean'. The very last thing Castiel needed in his life was for Gabriel to try his hand yet again at match-making. Especially when the intended subject was not even gay.

Gabriel never really grasped the concept of mono-sexuality. He was under the misconception that his beloved little brother was capable of turning any strictly straight man gay just by dent of being 'Castiel'. It had led to many awkward and uncomfortable introductions and surprise dates. They had never ended well...

Luckily, Gabriel had not caught on that Castiel had left off the details of the repair. Instead, he remained focused on his little brother's feat of survival. "What the hell happened!? Why would you even bother trying to return McDouche-bag's car anyway?" Gabriel appeared to be genuinely upset that Castiel had been nearly hurt.

"It was fine. The weather was bad, and this little fuzzball decided to play a real-life game of Frogger," Castiel muttered quickly, gesturing to the kitten in his hands, as they headed for his car.

Gabriel directed his super-protective older brother 'Death Glare' at the squirming kitten, who blinked back, unfazed.

Castiel tried to change the subject as they reached his car and got in. "I'm taking you straight in to work. Charlie mentioned earlier that Ruby has been trying to locate you all morning."

"Oh, don't worry about Rube. I've been texting her to let her know I'm fine. See-" He grinned proudly and passed Castiel his cell phone while he buckled himself in and tried to arrange the kitten onto the floorboards. The tiny animal responded by nipping defensively at Gabriel's hand and hissing.

Castiel ignored them both and took the proffered phone to appease his brother. He read the series of messages starting at Eight-fifteen that morning.

0815 R: Sir, you are late. You have a meeting to be at in forty-five minutes. Call me.

0850 R: Sir, this meeting is very important. Call me ASAP.

0910 R: The meeting had to be cancelled. Almost everyone is out sick. Where are you?

0951 R: This is not funny. Call me. Now. People are looking for you.

1018 R: You better be stuck face-first in a toilet. I'm heading to your apartment now.

1042 R: I know you aren't at your apartment. I'm heading to the country house next. If I find you passed out drunk, you're dead. Sir.

1119 R: What the HELL were you doing this weekend!? I swear to God if you don't call me I will hunt you down and end you!

1147 G: : D

1148 R: Are you fucking serious!? Tell me where you are.

1203 G: lets play hide n seek

1204 R: You stupid little spoiled shit! Where are you?!

1221 G: first clue- i am not at the office

1222 R: NO SHIT! When I find you, you won't be in the land of the living!

1238 G: Clue 2- i am with a friend ; )

1244 R: The strip club says you haven't been there. Stop fucking around! Get your ass in to work!

1309 G: Clue 3- maybe cassie knows ?

1324 R: Your brother's bitchy secretaries wont let me in to talk to him. Is this some stupid group prank? TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE.

"My God, Gabriel. Why do you do this to her?" Castiel passed the phone back to the self-satisfied Gabriel. Maybe taking him back to the office where Ruby was waiting wasn't the best idea. But then, Gabriel deserved whatever he got for goading the poor woman.

Even if what he 'got' was a high heeled shoe through his chest….

…-^o^-…

Castiel dropped Gabriel off at the front of the building at two thirty-five.

He decided that his day had gone on long enough and opted to call Charlie from the parking lot to check his schedule. After she confirmed that he had no meetings or Think Tanks to host that afternoon, he let her know that he was taking off the rest of the day. She sounded sympathetic when she told him to get some rest.

Unfortunately, Castiel still had to drop the kitten off at the Cat Rescue before his horrible day could end.

A short while later, he pulled up outside the large complex and headed inside with the small wiggling bundle.

The moment he opened the front door, he was struck by a wave of stench. It was a mixture of wet fur, feces, and urine. He almost gagged and his eyes began to water. The kitten visibly cringed and burrowed deeply into his arms, only the smallest portion of its head kept up, observing the scene.

Castiel wasn't greeted by anyone, but he could hear the sounds of several groups of voices rising and falling from various rooms and offices down the long hallway. He headed in that direction until he came upon a medium sized room enclosed with a metal screen door. Inside he could see multiple large kennels stacked up and alongside each other. A few large cats lay around on the floor. A heavy-set older woman was speaking loudly to three other women.

One of them noticed Castiel at the door. "Oh, hello there," She called out. "Come on in."

Castiel hesitated, before slowly opening the metal screen door and entering the room. All four women stared at him critically. It was an unusual kind of stare for Castiel. He was used to many looks from people: appraising, interested, condescending, pitying.

These women, with undecorated, worn-out faces wearing plain blue jeans and fur covered bright sweaters, looked at him like his fine clothes and expensive shoes were worth absolutely nothing. He felt like they had seen many men in their time, and had been disappointed by most of them. It seemed they were looking into his soul and judging him...

All Castiel could manage to do was wait for them to pass their judgement.

Their eyes quickly picked up on the small black ball of fur peaking out from his arms. Unlike most people's reaction today, they seemed neither surprised nor impressed by his cargo.

Finally, the loud one who had been speaking when he arrived, stepped forward. "I'm Debbie, one of the managers here. What can I do for you?"

Castiel wasn't sure if he passed these women's initial test, but he forced himself to speak up, "I need to drop this kitten off. It was running around in traffic on the highway."

The woman, Debbie, frowned, but nodded her head slowly, "Well, let's take a look." She abruptly pulled the small kitten from Castiel's arms and held it up where she could inspect it. The kitten immediately started mewling in offense. Two of the other women moved over to look at the kitten, too. "Well, it's a boy. About eleven-weeks old. Not fixed. We can check it real quick for a chip." She walked over to a messy desk in the back, where a large yellow cat was resting on a stack of papers, and pulled a small machine from a drawer. She turned it on and held it to the struggling kitten. Then, she tsk'd and set the device down. "Nope, no chip."

The other women all sighed and muttered. Castiel felt like he was missing something important, but he was having enough difficulty following what the the woman was saying as it was.

Debbie turned back to him and asked with zero preamble, "Do you want him?"

Castiel was so taken aback by the blunt question that he didn't know what to say at first. "Wha-? No. I mean, no thank you. I just... I wanted to drop him off with you all so he could, um, be adopted to a nice family…?" He finished weakly.

Debbie's frown grew and she re-assessed the small kitten as it tried unsuccessfully to chew off her pinky. Finally, she turned to the other women and began speaking, "It's gonna be tough. He's already pretty old, and feral it looks like. No shots, and he needs to be fixed." The other women nodded and hummed agreements.

One of the ones near the desk spoke, "Maybe Susan will take him? She only has twelve at her house right now, plus the two older ones."

"No," another woman spoke, "She is supposed to get another two litters in a week or two from Tori. And I think Janet AND Sally are full, too."

Debbie turned back to Castiel suddenly, "How about fostering? Do you think you could manage that?"

Castiel stared blankly.

"All you have to do," she explained patiently, "Is take care of it, and bring it in to adoption events at the local pet store on Saturdays. It's very easy."

"I…I've never had a cat before. I don't really want one. I just wanted to drop him off. Is-Is there a problem with just, you know... leaving him here?" He was desperate to get out of the foul smelling store. The cats in the kennel next to where he stood were staring depressedly out. Castiel felt extremely uncomfortable.

Debbie sighed again, shrugging her shoulders widely, causing the small kitten she held to mew loudly. Then she passed it off (rather too roughly, it seemed to Castiel) to one of the women, telling her to start the shots, do a de-worming and schedule for the vet to get him fixed.

The kitten was carried away without another word. Castiel heard the mewling continue down the hall and into one of the nearby rooms. He hadn't even had a chance to say good-bye. Not that the kitten would understand, but, they had spent the whole day together, almost. Castiel felt that warranted at least a good-bye. And maybe one last head rub...

He stood there, awkwardly, not sure if he had permission to leave yet. Did he need to sign anything? Debbie and the other women began shuffling through paperwork on the desk, ignoring him.

From somewhere further down the hall, he heard as the kitten began mewling louder and suddenly began hissing.

"W-was there, uh, anything else you need me to do?" Castiel asked uncomfortably.

Meow. Meeeooow. Hiiiisssss. Meeoooooow. Meeow...

Debbie looked up and stated quickly, "No. We'll see what foster homes are available for him right now and try to get him into one. We can't keep cats in the Rescue long-term, only shelters can do that. But, we don't really have a place for him right now, so..." She shrugged.

Meeeow. Meeeooow. Hiiissssss.

"Plus, with his age it is harder to get him adopted. Most families want really young kittens."

Meeoowww. Meeooow. Squeeeek! MEEEOOOOWWW.

"Plus, he's a black cat. Those are particularly hard too adopt out. You know- superstitions." Debbie made a quick gesture to the kennels beside him. Castiel realized two of the three cats in the occupied kennels were black. "We've had those since they were kittens. Poor things."

Meeoow. Meeeeeeoooooow. Meeeooooowww.

One of the large black cats met Castiel's eye. The animal looked like it had lost it's will to live. It held Castiel's gaze.

Meeooow. Meeoooow.

Castiel sighed, rubbing his hand slowly over his face.

"Debbie, could you explain the fostering process to me again, please."

…-^o^-…

Castiel left the rescue loaded up with a carrier, cans and a bag of cat food, kitty litter, a litter box, a gift bag of cat toys, instruction guides for cat-proofing and fostering, and, of course, his new foster-kitten.

He couldn't wait for this day to finally end.

…-^o^-…

Charlie placed the phone back on the receiver after speaking to Castiel and turned to the other secretaries. "Looks like my boss-man is calling it an early day. You two didn't even have your bosses make it in at all today, huh?" Jess and Anna smiled and shook their heads. "Well, you know what that means- let's shut this operation down early- Whoooh!"

Jess was already up and collecting her things excitedly. Anna rose slower, and began packing her purse up.

Charlie shut her computer down, then turned to the others. "Well, do either of you have anything exciting going on tonight?" Anna shook her head and looked down in embarrassment, but Jess smiled broadly and started talking excitedly.

"I'm cooking my boyfriend dinner at my place again tonight! The last time was so sweet. We just ate and cuddled on the couch to watch movies afterwards. Tonight is going to be Star Wars themed."

"That sounds fun," Charlie grinned at her, "Have you met his family yet? It seems like you two eat at your house every time."

Jess's smile faltered, and Charlie panicked that she must have hit a sensitive subject, and immediately began backtracking, "I mean, it's totally fine to eat at your house! You're an awesome cook! I love when you bring in treats for us. He's super-lucky to have you cook for him all the time!"

Jess smiled weakly, then finally leaned closer to the other two women and said slowly, "Actually, he hasn't really told his family about me yet- at least, not his brother." Anna frowned sadly and Charlie looked surprised. "His brother, is, um, having a rough few months. He apparently proposed to his girlfriend in front of everyone, and she walked out on him." The women both cringed with pity.

"I guess that would be pretty tough to deal with," Charlie pursed her lips in thought, "So, what? Your boyfriend's keeping your relationship a secret so his brother has time to cope? That's… sweet, I guess. But, not really fair for you."

Jess smiled gratefully at the observation, "It's totally fine. They're really close, plus their parents are living out in Tennessee and traveling constantly for their job. It's kind of important to be supportive of each other. But, I have had a chance to meet some of his friends. Oh!" Jess shouted excitedly, "I almost forgot to tell you both. So, my boyfriend and his brother and another friend are in a band. They're going to be playing this Friday. I have free tickets that I wanted to offer you both."

Charlie waved her hand to pass apologetically, "Sorry, sweetie. I already have a super-sexy date lined up for Friday evening. But, Anna, you should totally go!"

Anna looked wide-eyed back and forth at the two smiling women. "I- I'm not really good at concerts and stuff," she muttered nervously.

Charlie took this opportunity as a god-send. This would be the perfect chance for Anna to get out and meet other guys so she wouldn't be obsessing over Castiel and his 'forbidden fruit' for the rest of her life. It was perfect.

"You HAVE to go," she almost shouted, startling the other two women. "I mean, it would be nice to change things up a bit. Plus, you can give me the scoop on Jess's boyfriend. I want to know if it's just her love-struck eyes that are painting him out to be Mr. Perfect." She raised her eyebrows and winked at Anna. Jess giggled.

Faced with Charlie and Jess's pleading, Anna finally reluctantly agreed to go.

Suddenly, they heard the faint sound of shattering glass and looked over just in time to see a potted plant and the sparkle of broken window pane falling past the office window outside.

"Oh," Charlie observed thoughtfully as the women carried their things with them to the elevator to leave. "I guess Ruby found Gabriel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Ash does impressions!
> 
> What was Dean's first impression of Castiel?
> 
> Sam discovers something new about his brother.


	6. Nosy Brothers

"I'm telling you, Sam, there were some seriously intense looks exchanged." Ash took a swig from his beer.

Sam looked from Ash, to Benny, who shrugged.

Jo, Ellen, and Bobby listened on with interest. All of them were sitting at the front bar of the Road House together. Dean was due to show up any minute after stopping at home to shower and change.

As soon as the others had arrived, Ash had gathered them together into a tight group to go over Dean's behavior throughout the day.

Sam had been expecting a report about Dean being his usual self- denying his feelings and pretending that he was fine. Trying to maintain his 'macho-male' persona. He had sure seemed to be heading that way this morning, when Sam had been forced to leave him to get to class.

Instead, Ash was regaling the group with the events at lunch today.

"Seriously, the dude, Castiel, had it bad. He was all, 'Daaammmmnnn'. I thought he was going to spontaneously combust with how hard he was blushing. And Dean was all, 'Come on, Bobby, compliment me in front of him. Say I'm cool'. But, this Castiel-guy was too shy to even look at him. Then, he finally does, and his face was all like, 'Oh, shit. Run aawwwwaaaaayyyy!' The group all cracked up at Ash's comical description of the scene. Even Bobby tried to muffle a chuckle by taking a deep drink from his mug.

Sam, however, was completely unconvinced. "Come on, Ash. No way Dean was hot for a guy. He's a hundred percent straight. I don't think he's ever even thought about guys that way. He's been hooked on chicks since he could tell the difference."

"I'm just saying, Sam, his attitude did a complete one-eighty after that dude dropped by. He couldn't pull his eyes off of him. Of course, I wasn't unaffected either. Guy comes in looking like he just had a drunken pillow fight party with an entire sorority, it's hard NOT to let your mind fall into the gutter."

Sam snorted along with everyone else, but frowned. He looked at Benny and Bobby and asked, "Ash is just exaggerating, right? Dean wasn't seriously making bedroom eyes at some random guy in a suit?"

Bobby quickly pulled his mug up for an extended swig and pointedly looked away. Benny was forced to answer him. "I...can't really say, Sam. I mean, I didn't really notice anything myself at the time. Well, I wasn't looking for it, that's for sure. But, Dean did get mighty chipper after that. And he did mention the guy a few times this afternoon. Just simple stuff, like 'Whatd'ya reckon his story was' and 'I wonder if managed to pull off sneakin' the car back in'. You know- nothing about deciding he was suddenly gay or anything like that."

"Trust me, guys. Dean's a little thick- no offense Sam- but there were definitely some sparks flying." Ash wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Sam glanced down at the bar, thinking hard. No way Dean, his super-horny, chick-chasing brother, was gay. He had never said or done anything to make Sam think that. It had always been women. Could Dean really suddenly turn gay over some hot rich guy he had seen for maybe ten minutes, tops? It just didn't seem possible. Maybe Ash and the others were just reading him wrong. Dean probably just thought the guy was interesting for a rich dude, and he wanted to size him up as a possible friend.

Jo spoke up from behind the bar where she stood with Ellen. The bar was owned by Ellen, and Jo, her daughter, was a waitress and bartender. The group of friends had grown up together, with the exception of Ash, often hanging out at the bar just like this. It seemed like they were more family than close friends. Sam and Dean knew these people- and they knew Sam and Dean. If they thought it was possible that Dean could like a guy…."

Sam was pulled from his thoughts when he heard what Jo was asking. "What was so hot about this guy anyway?" She asked with a skeptical laugh, " I mean, Dean is pretty superficial when it comes to the women he dates. Lisa was smoking hot. The chicks Dean dates always are. This guy would have to be, like, 'sex on fire' to make Dean start batting for the other team." She finished, leaning in eagerly, an excited grin on her face.

Ash didn't miss a beat, "Oh, let me tell you, little lady. Picture tall and lean, perfectly sculpted cheekbones, heavy brow, bright blue eyes, and dark, ruffled hair. He could've stepped straight out of a modeling advertisement." Ash paused thoughtfully, "Or a high-end porn."

Jo squeeled, and Ellen pointed out, "Ash, are you sure those sparks were coming from Dean and not you?" Everyone laughed, even Sam.

Ash just shrugged his shoulders, and chuckled, "If the dude had looked at me like he did Dean, I wouldn't be here havin' this conversation with you guys right now." He winked theatrically. The group laughed again.

Ash was well-known for not being picky about his relationships. Guys or girls, good-looking or not, Ash was a firm believer in equal opportunity. And despite his redneck appearance and laid back attitude, he was actually considered quite the catch.

Of course, with a Masters in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering from MIT at the tender age of 28, he really was an unexpected catch. It was anybody's guess why he slummed it in Lawrence, Kansas. He had just showed up in the Road House one day, passed out on the pool table, woke up when Ellen doused a pitcher of water on him, and asked to apply for a job at the Bobby's Auto Shop. With his credentials, Bobby couldn't exactly say no. And from then on, he had fit in with the group like he had always been there.

Sam watched as Ash continued his theatrics, cracking their small group up with his owl-like impression of the businessman gawking at Dean.

There couldn't be anything to it, he thought, frowning to himself. Right...?

…-^o^-…

Dean stopped for a moment outside the entrance to the Road House to put his game face on. He knew as soon as he walked in that he would be closely scrutinized for signs of weakness. Sammy was even going to be there for a while, before heading out for some kind of late night tutoring session or something, again. He had been spending a lot more time than usual working late at the library...

What surprised Dean was that he actually was feeling relatively okay. He still felt a hollow sense of shame and failure whenever he thought about Lisa, but it was dulled. Almost like he had always been preparing himself for losing her. In a way, he figured he had. That was why he was so hesitant to get close to her. Because he never really expected her to stay. Even when she had repeatedly told him she would.

They never stayed- his girlfriends. Dean just wasn't able to give them what they wanted. Love. Commitment. It was like he knew what the words meant, but had no ability to apply them in real-life. He just couldn't find that damn spark that everyone else seemed to have. His parents had it. Sometimes Dean wished he and a crowbar handy to pry his parents apart when he was growing up. He wanted that... to feel like he couldn't possibly get enough of someone. To love so deeply that nothing else mattered. Maybe if Lisa had given him a little more time, maybe just tried the marriage thing out with him...

He took a deep breath to pull himself back to the moment. He needed to keep himself together. He could talk to all his friends about anything except Lisa. Luckily, he already had the perfect distraction topic.

Castiel, the hard-partying businessman.

There was an endless supply of hypothetical scenarios they could run through about the guy. And Benny or Ash could hold up a big part of the conversation with him. That would kill at least an hour, then Dean could make a legitimate escape.

Psyching himself up, he pulled open the door and entered.

Everyone was in the usual spot, joking and drinking by the bar counter. He strolled over smiling, and greeted them. Ellen passed him beer as soon as he was seated.

"Yo, Dean. I was just telling these guys about our customer from lunch. You remember, Cameron or something..."

"Cas-ti-el," Dean corrected quickly, pronouncing the name in three syllables. He missed the looks that the group exchanged around him. "Yeah man, you beat me to it. I was totally going to to tell them about him. That guy was a trip, huh?"

"Yeah, I was trying to describe him for Jo. She heard he was rich and immediately had to know if he was hot. I said he was pretty okay-looking. Kinda scruffy with brown eyes." Ash continued innocently.

"Blue, dude," He turned to face Jo directly as he corrected Ash. "He had these super-bright, blue eyes."

Jo didn't miss her cue. "Hmmm," She muttered, "I can't picture some stuffy businessman in a suit as hot. He probably had pasty skin and slicked down, oily hair, huh?"

"What? No, way. This dude was young, like around our age. His skin was kind of pale, I guess, but it looked okay with his dark hair and light eyes. You would have been drooling, trust me." Dean finished his statement and tilted his beer back for a long drag.

Jo barely held in a strangled giggle. The rest of the group took drinks as well to cover their wide grins, exchanging another round of looks with each other.

Sam, who had been studying his brother closely, slowly began to crack the beginning of a smirk. Holy shit, he thought to himself, Dean had all but called the guy hot. Maybe Ash really was on to something here.

"Ash was saying he seemed like an oddball." Sam suggested.

Dean frowned at Ash, then turned to Sam and shrugged, "I don't think so. I mean, yeah, he seemed like he may have partied way too hard, but I think it was mostly just nerves about the wreck and the cat. You told them about all that, right?" He turned, laughing, toward Ash and Benny for their confirmation. They nodded tight-lipped, seemingly concentrating hard on the labels of their beers.

Dean returned to face his brother, "It was awesome, man. You would've like him. Benny tried to joke with him about coyotes eating the kitten if it had escaped, and the dude gave him this super-intense look, like he couldn't figure out if it was actually a joke or not." Dean laughed again, remembering.

Sam chuckled along with him while the rest of the group watched and smirked knowingly. Yeah, Sam thought, Ash was definitely onto something here.

After a few more minutes, Sam ducked out mumbling about a study session, and the conversation turned to the concert Friday night. Dean finally ducked out a few hours later, proud of himself for keeping up his unaffected demeanor.

Lisa, who? He thought to himself smugly.

...-^o^-...

Ellen: Mary you won't believe the latest gossip- Dean's got himself a man-crush. A suit came into the shop. Your son is gushing. LOL How are you and John? Still filming in Maryland?

Mary: John is LOL-ing. I'm telling you- try to set him up with Jo. We could be like sisters. ; ) And yep, still filming. Wolf or something.

…-^o^-…

"You seem distracted," Jess pointed out as she caught Sam staring out into space for the third time that evening.

"Huh? Oh, no. It's nothing- really." Sam stuttered. Jess gave him a skeptical smile. "It's just, I was thinking about my brother."

"Dean? Are you still worried about him getting upset over his ex? Jo was saying he took it pretty hard when she left him." She smiled encouragingly as she snuggled up next to him on the sofa.

"Surprisingly, no. He seems to have managed to handle her engagement pretty well, actually." He drifted off in thought again, a strange smile on his face.

"Soooo? What are you thinking about, then? Oh! Are you thinking I can stop being your dirty little secret now?" She threw her arms up and around his neck, leaning in for a deep kiss.

When they finally pulled apart slowly, Sam was smiling. "Yeah, I think he can handle it. Maybe I can introduce you two after the concert Friday?" He kissed her again. "But, what I was thinking about was actually something else," he muttered.

Jess raised her eyebrows, "Oh, yeah? And what would that be?" She leaned closer into the crook of his arm.

Sam hesitated. He and Jess had clicked immediately upon meeting. It felt like they had always been meant for each other. He felt comfortable enough to discuss his brother's personal life with her. This new situation was no different.

"Well...Ash seems pretty convinced that Dean took a romantic interest in a customer at the shop today." Sam stated slowly.

Jess turned to look up at him, and said carefully, "Okay. That's kind of fast, but not a bad thing, right?"

"Well... It-it was a guy." Sam waited, watching Jess's face as the information clicked.

Suddenly, her face split into a huge, wide-eyed grin. "And you think maybe Ash is right? Dean may have a gay-crush?"

Sam couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. "Yeah. I mean at first I was positive that Ash was just bull-shitting. But then Dean showed up and...he just-" Sam paused smiling, "It was the way Dean was describing him. And he had this ridiculous smile on his face. I don't know. He practically never smiles like that."

Jess leaned in again for another quick kiss, before settling in with the remote control. "Don't you worry, Babe. Let me meet him on Friday. I have a pretty good sense for these things. I'm almost positive one of the new boss's at my office is gay. I can just tell, you know? I'll see what I can gleam from your brother."

Sam smiled and nuzzled his face into her curly blonde hair, breathing in the scent of soap and flowers. He tightened his hug around her as she hit the play button. The Star Wars opening music began playing as they leaned warmly against each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: What is Castiel's job? Being awesome, apparently.
> 
> Gabriel enlists help to get Castiel out of his apartment and back into the dating game.
> 
> A shadowy figure watches from afar.


	7. Think Tank Tango

The rest of Castiel's week had played out with few real surprises. He had managed to settle the kitten into his apartment after ensuring that there were no dangers for him. The tiny animal had been intimidated at first, hiding under the entertainment system for nearly a full day. But, curiosity had gotten the better of it. By Wednesday evening, he was running excited laps around the spacious rooms and reclining by the large floor-to-ceiling windows that over-looked a portion of the city. Castiel was on the fourth floor, but he had a great view because there were not too many tall buildings in Lawrence with the exception of the ADA structure.

Thursday morning, Castiel arrived in to work at eight a.m. Charlie had just arrived as well, and they were settling into their normal routine as the rest of the ninth floor filed in slowly.

Castiel had six messages on his work phone, and nearly triple that in texts and messages on his personal phone, all from Gabriel. He was insistent that Castiel join him and Garth at the concert on Friday. Castiel's resolve was wavering, but he held strong. Gabriel was saying it would just be a small concert and a few drinks, but Castiel knew better. The night would suddenly take a crazy turn and he would end up desperately trying to do damage-control for whatever mess Gabriel made. Probably another fire...he was due for one of those again.

A knock at the door pulled his attention back.

"Boss... President Crowley is on line one for you," Charlie said carefully, a small tick curving the edges of her lips up subtly.

Castiel nodded solemnly and took the call, his voice tight and professional, "Mr. Novak speaking. How may I help you sir?"

On the other end of the line, a familiar and grating scottish accent filtered through in its usual lazy tone. "Castiel. I have a little tasker for you. The Research and Development Team #4 on the third floor has failed to meet their deadlines for a new media product. Handle it, would you?"

Castiel barely had time to assent when he heard a click as the line cut out. President Crowley was notorious for being an obnoxious ass. Plus, after dealing with Gabriel- who technically outranked him by being an Executive- he had developed a keen dislike of the Novak brothers. Castiel had noticed it immediately upon his arrival, and had been doing his best to overcome the stereotype his older brother was perpetrating for him. It was a problem that had plagued Castiel at all his jobs.

This time, however, Crowley's attitude didn't even faze him. A smile was already growing on his face.

Castiel stepped out of the office and approached Charlie's desk where she was losing her own battle with a smile. Before he could speak she beat him to it, "Is it 'Go Time', boss?"

Castiel watched her enthusiasm with a growing smile of his own, and nodded. "You know what to do. R&D team #4." He checked the time, "Let's make it One p.m."

"Oooh! Can we synchronize our watches?" Castiel looked at her perplexed, but decided to let her have her fun.

"Uh...sure, Charlie. Just make sure everything is ready to go."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" She responded loudly, and hopped up to make the preparations. Anna and Jess watched the exchange from their desks in amusement. It was so rare to see Castiel genuinely excited. He seemed to take on a whole new persona, radiating power and authority.

As he turned, the women couldn't help but notice a new spring to his step.

…-^o^-…

There were few things in life that really compared to sex according to Castiel. Most of them were food related, and a few involved traveling to places where humans rarely set foot.

But Think Tanks were absolutely the closest in his opinion. As the Think Tank Manager, Castiel was responsible for arranging and coordinating the enclosed environment that would contain the group of people that were tasked with solving problems. The problems could be anything, from agreeing on a time for a product roll out, to re-designing an established product from the ground up. Any time that consensus or ideas were slow in coming, a Think Tank was set up. And Castiel had earned himself the reputation for running the most successful Think Tanks in the entire ADA company, all branches and locations included.

It was one of only two places in the world that acted as his small piece of controlled universe where he thrived naturally on his skills and enthusiasm.

The other was the bedroom.

And, in those three years when he had pronounced himself celibate, Think Tanks had been his go-to source of primal release. It had been in those three years that he had earned his reputation and proven his indispensability to the company.

Now, as Charlie sent him the data of this Think Tank's goals, and the profiles of the personnel he would be responsible for developing, he felt the familiar quickening of his pulse and a headiness overtaking him.

He needed this. He needed a solid substitute for sex. Needed a distraction to pull his mind from the urges accosting his body. Needed a new direction to look.

Because over the last few days, his mind had been stuck on repeat in the worst way. Green eyes snuck into his thoughts when he least expected them. Took advantage of his weak moments to sear their image into his brain.

The image of the mechanic, Dean, had been crawling through his dreams, visiting him in the shower- even slipping into his imagination during the company meetings, which had led to several humiliating occasions when he had to be the very last person to stand and leave afterwards.

Castiel had fought back the insidious urges to pull the image to the forefront and use it. The need was always there.

Was it possible to be sexually haunted by a living person? Dean's ghost seemed to encourage Castiel to make use of him.

Castiel had been surviving on cold showers and sleep medication. He had never wanted to get off to fantasizing about a stranger so desperately in his life. And had never been more strongly resolved not to give in before, either.

If he gave in now, with the gorgeous mechanic as his model, he would be more ashamed than ever. Hardly a month, and Castiel couldn't contain his sexual urges. Only a few days, and he was practically dream-molesting a friendly green-eyed stranger.

Yes, a Think Tank was exactly what Castiel needed.

And God save the poor bastards of R&D Team #4.

…-^o^-…

Castiel sat quietly in the back corner of the meeting room. The ninth floor conference room had been specially adapted to meet the requirements of a Think Tank.

There were no windows. There was an attached co-ed restroom on the inside- also with no windows. Or toilet seat cover, for that matter. Comfort encouraged staying, and staying wasted valuable time. There was only one access point into the room- the door- which deadbolted from the outside.

A specific knock, known only by Castiel and Charlie, would authorize the door to be opened.

Charlie had done a fantastic job setting up the room to Castiel's specifications. The blank walls were covered with dozens of large, empty whiteboards. New dry erase markers were sitting everywhere. New notepads with several packs of ball point black pens were placed neatly in front of each chair. A large and varied assortment of fresh fruit, snacks and water were centered along the middle of the rectangular table. There was one computer in the room. It had an extremely restricted internet connection that blocked any sites that were deemed unnecessary for research. Or could signal for police rescue...

It was time.

Castiel breathed deeply, body thrumming with excitement. The elevator dinged down the hall, and he heard the thudding of feet and low rumble of voices, and Charlie's sweetest voice leading them to the room.

The group entered. There were nine. Castiel had memorized their employee profiles over lunch, searching for their strengths and weaknesses. Creating his plan of attack.

As the last one entered, Charlie released an overdramatic maniacal chuckle as she shut the door firmly and threw the deadbolt into place with an ominous clank of heavy metal.

The group jumped and turned to look at the door. Their smiles dropped immediately, and several of them ran back to the door, testing it, only to confirm that they were definitely locked inside.

From his place in the corner, Castiel hit the small button on the light control device he held.

Darkness fell.

Several people screamed.

He moved gracefully to the front of the room, navigating the dark effortlessly. He came to a stop in front of the space he knew contained the main dry erase board. With another click, a single spot light landed upon him casting a bright and eerie glow on his features. The room was absolutely silent. His body buzzed with purpose.

"You are all here today to serve a Glorious Purpose." He stated with a gentle rumble of his voice that practically boomed in the dark silence. "You have fallen from your exalted positions in R&D. Allowed your weaknesses to triumph, and have cast yourselves into the great pit of Failure." He lifted his head, eyes adjusting to the shadows to meet the terrified gazes of the shocked employees. He continued gently, smiling as he spoke, "But do not fear. I am here to raise you from Perdition."

…-^o^-…

It was nine fifty-three p.m.

Charlie was in the middle of a raid on her computer, the almost empty bag of snickers on her desk, next to three empty Mountain Dew bottles, a twizzlers wrapper, and various other sugar and caffeine filled containers. She was buzzed, and completely prepared for an all-nighter. Most of the Think Tanks were. She has sized up the R&D team as she led them to the conference room. They were like lambs going to the slaughter. Smiling, grumbling, discussing their shopping trips or golf games.

The poor bastards had no idea what they were in for...

In the first few hours, she had heard the familiar sounds of banging, shouts for help, furniture being upended. Most of the ninth floor employees were used to the muffled sounds. They had gone about their business and left at there regular times.

However, more recently the noises had died down.

She flipped through her computer screens every hour to check the progress. There were several hidden cameras and microphones in the room, tucked in seamlessly amongst the grated ventilation ducts and lighting fixtures. The first few hours were always the most interesting, but once the occupants accepted their fates, it became mostly boring technical talk.

She waited patiently for the secret knock indicating that the Think Tank had drawn to a successful conclusion. It may come soon, or it may not come until sometime late tomorrow.

Kansas had strict policies that prevented unlawful corporate detainment for longer than twenty-four hours. But, of course, the people locked inside didn't need to know that.

Charlie loved her job.

The hum and ding from the elevator caught her attention, and she looked up to see who else would be staying so late on weekday.

Gabriel strode out with a large smile and wave at Charlie as he approached her desk. He hopped up onto the corner and helped himself to a Snickers.

"How's my baby brother getting on, Red?" Charlie grinned and pulled up the video of the room. Then she turned up the volume.

…-^o^-…

The cameras showed the room, with several people either standing or collapsed on the floor by the door. A few were leaning lifelessly across the table in their chairs. A quick scan of the boards and crumpled remains of notebook paper indicated that considerable progress had been made, but the attitudes of the rooms occupants suggested that the final solution was still far from completed.

"I already told you," Castiel was saying calmly, but with a steely force behind his words, "Your civil rights ended when you walked through that door. The only possible way out is by completing the project to my satisfaction."

"This is insane!" a heavy-set woman shrieked through her tears, "I have a family. My kids! Who is picking them up from school- feeding them supper?!"

"I wont ask you again," a man with more hair in his mustache than on his head shouted from where he was pacing in the corner, "Open that damn door, or by God, we'll bust it down!"

A shout of nervous consensus erupted from the other weary occupants.

Castiel sighed deeply, and spoke lowly again, everyone hanging intently off his words, "I don't understand you all. Do you not want to be saved?" He looked up and met each of their eyes slowly before continuing. "Do you not think you are worthy of being saved? I am here, with you now, because the ADA thinks you are worthy. It has need of you and your skills. Each one of you." His eyes were wide and sincere, as if pleading for them to understand their own personal value.

A woman crouched by the left wall, sniffled, "I..I just want to go home…Please. I can't handle this- I-I'm just not strong enough!" She collapsed further into more shaking sobs.

Castiel rose as the rest of the group looked on in terrified awe. He glided smoothly over to where she lay hunched, and knelt beside her. He gently reached out and lifted her chin, bringing her tear-stained eyes up to meet his.

"You are stronger than you realize, Laura. Don't you see that in yourself?" Laura's bright eyes stared hopefully into Castiel's. He turned back to the other's, rising slowly, seeing the same tired but hopeful shine in theirs.

Time to bring it home, Castiel thought, gearing himself up for the big turning point.

"You all have great strength inside of you." His voice rose steadily as he spoke. "I have watched what you can do when you try- seen what great things you are capable of! You can do this! You can fight your way through the very pits of Hell!" He practically shouted the last part, his booming voice echoing like thunder through the room.

"P-please- help us! Tell us how!" A man leaning weakly from his chair pleaded, and the rest of the room repeated his plea.

"Yes, help us."

"Teach us how to be better!"

"Please, we'll do our best. Show us how!"

Castiel smiled inwardly. Got them.

Out loud he spoke softly, smiling gently at the desperate office workers. His voice a stark contrast to his last spoken words, "All you need is a little Faith."

…-^o^-…

Charlie and Gabriel watched the exchange with proud, beaming smiles.

"That's my little brother," Gabriel muttered, wiping away mock-tears, "a born leader."

Charlie nodded agreement, before saying, "If I weren't a hardcore lesbian, I would be on that like white on rice." She sighed heavily, gazing at the images. "Was there something you needed, Gabriel? It looks like this will be wrapping up in just a few more hours."

Gabriel frowned pathetically down at Charlie, clearly fishing for sympathy, "Reeddd," he whined, "Cassie wont hang out with me tomorrow. I've been trying to talk him into it, but he just ignores me."

Charlie stared at him, completely unaffected. After a moment, she cocked one eyebrow, "Was there anything else?"

Gabriel pressed on, "I was actually hoping YOU could help me out, Red. I'm just trying to get Cassie out of his ridiculously tiny apartment. He's been so uptight since the whole 'Dick Fiasco'." Gabriel smirked to himself as he saw Charlie's eyes register confusion, then interest.

"Oh, you know about THAT, right?" Gabriel asked, knowing that she would be pulled over to his side by the tantalizing gossip. "Cassie practically fled from his last boyfriend- a really nasty breakup. Now, he has decided to lock himself up in an ivory tower of Chastity, never allowing handsome princes to scale his treacherous walls, and gaze upon his shining blue eyes, forever more." He thought maybe he was putting it on too thick, but a glance at Charlie revealed that she was hanging on to his every word. Yikes.

He moved around to her side of the desk, kneeling before her and taking her hands, "You'll help him, right? Together, we can conquer the dragons, and, er, evil step-mothers, and-"

"Ring Wraiths?" Charlie suggested helpfully, still entranced.

"Yes, those pesky Ring Wraiths, too. We can beat them all, and get our Castiel his Handsome Prince. All you have to do, is convince him to go out with me tomorrow."

Charlie nodded her head enthusiastically, and stated, "Let's get our Damsel in Distress laid!"

Gabriel watched out of the corner of his eye as the monitor showed Castiel throwing a chair across the room, where it exploded into huge shards and splinters, missing a cowering man by only a few feet.

That's a LOT of sexual frustration, Gabriel thought to himself.

Gabriel smiled brightly back at the woman, "Yes, our helpless Damsel needs us, Charlie."

Piece of cake, he told himself smugly.

…-^o^-…

A strange rythmic knock sounded from the direction of the conference room around two a.m. Charlie jumped violently and scrambled to pause the episode of Doctor Who streaming on her computer.

When she opened the door, a parade of exhausted, but jubilant faces emerged, chatting excitedly to one another. They walked slowly to the elevator and left, still recounting their brilliant ideas as the elevator doors slid shut.

Charlie stepped inside the conference room, and noted Castiel sitting in a chair staring at the various whiteboards surrounding him, now filled with images and words.

"Was it another success, boss?" Charlie asked in the silence.

Castiel smiled and rubbed his hands over his eyes. He stood slowly, stretching his sore muscles, and made his way to the door where Charlie stepped to the side. "Fantastic, Charlie. It was absolutely fantastic." Then he left, walking to the elevator with the worn-out smile never leaving his face.

Castiel was sated.

At least, for now.

Dean who? He thought to himself as the elevator dinged.

…-^o^-…

In a darkened room on the sub-basement level of the ADA headquarters in California, the image of Castiel smiling tiredly to himself in the elevator was pulled up on a large monitor.

From the shadows, behind the nervous looking security personnel and ITs, a small chuckle could be heard.

"Naomi," a deep voice said quietly to the woman standing attentively nearby.

"Yes, sir?" The woman replied respectfully.

"Where is Michael?" The voice asked quietly.

"He is at the Boston offices this week, sir." She replied.

"I think it's time." The voice rumbled.

The woman, Naomi, looked back at the screens. The main screen showed Castiel. Another screen showed the now empty conference room.

On yet another screen, Gabriel was sitting in his office, feet propped up on his expensive looking desk, playing a video game and chewing happily on five twizzlers at once.

Naomi turned back to the shadowy figure and nodded curtly. "I understand, sir. I'll begin making the arrangements." She left immediately.

The figure stood in shadows for a long time after she left. Watching in silence as Castiel passed through the lobby and headed to his car across the large parking lot and Gabriel dozed off, Twizzlers slipping from his mouth onto the floor.

They were completely oblivious to the chaos that was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOOM! Intro the rising action! I have some wonderful surprises in store for you all. Stay tuned!
> 
> Next up: Our boys meet again and Castiel has to pinch himself to make sure he isn't dreaming.
> 
> Dean evades a throng of horny women.
> 
> Sam gets dumbfounded.


	8. What? He Sings, Too? FML

The Road House was much bigger than expected. In Castiel's mind, it had been a small business fitting maybe fifty people max.

This building was apparently adapted from a medium-sized open bay garage. The interior was large and spacious, easily accommodating a hundred or so people. The unique thing about it, he noted, was that the back portion where the sliding metal garage door raised vertically, was opened, leading into an enormous lot filled with tables and chairs set up around a stage on risers.

The place was already filled by excited bodies talking loudly over the hum of background music from the speaker system.

Castiel and Gabriel made there way inside, Gabriel weaving through the crowd with the grace and speed all short people seem to be blessed with. Castiel was forced to inch his way forward roughly through the throng, repeatedly getting elbowed, bumped, and soaked by unaware people's drinks.

When he finally arrived at their reserved booth, he collapsed into it. Gabriel was already shouting a conversation to Garth and Sergeant Mills. Castiel took stock of their seating arrangement, and realized that despite being inside, away from the stage, they were actually high up, over the mass of people in the lot, with a perfect unobstructed view of the performance.

While Castiel observed the excited crowd, a young blond woman bounced over and sat a pitcher of beer and several glasses onto their table. She nodded and smiled to Garth and Jody, and gave Gabriel a wave in greeting.

As she turned to cast a quick glance and smile at Castiel, she did a double-take, her mouth dropping noticeably. Castiel, unsure how to handle the waitress's suddenly intense assessment tried to smile, despite his discomfort. The young woman's frown of concentration slowly grew into an enormous, toothy grin as she raised a hand slowly to give him a slow wave, before snapping her head around to Garth.

Castiel was unable to hear what she asked over the roar of the crowd and the music, but he clearly made out Garth pointing at him and trying to yell his name slowly into the young woman ear.

If possible, the young woman's smile seemed to get wider. She nodded and sent Castiel one final stare, seeming to take in everything about him eagerly, before she turned and practically sprinted into the throng of people, her small skinny form instantly lost amongst the moving bodies.

Castiel watched her disappear with a sense of alarm. He turned to check if anyone else at the booth had noticed the strange behavior.

Garth and Gabriel were back to yelling to each other, and making large gestures with there hands, while Jody's attention was focused exclusively on her cell phone.

Castiel cast another worried look in the direction the woman had gone. Strange...

Suddenly the lights went out, and a series of strobes and flashes cut on. The sound of an electric guitar cut through the sudden hush, followed by drums. Spot lights flared to life, shining brightly onto the stage across the crowd. People burst out into loud cheers and whistles as the long intro of Blue Oyster Cult's 'Burnin for You' blared out. Suddenly, a guitarist who had been hanging out to the side slid to center stage and chanted out:

Home in the valley-

Home in the ci-ty

Home isn't pret-ty

Ain't no home for meeeeee!

The crowd lost its collective mind, many of the front-most audience rushing to stand directly beneath the stage.

Castiel sat frozen in place as his heart beating hard enough to escape from his chest. He could barely suck in enough air to breath. His eyes were locked onto the singer, taking in everything: from the tight-fitting worn blue jeans to the black ACDC shirt that was rising every few seconds to flash glimpses of firm, tan abs and a light trail of hair leading down into the top of the jeans.

A slow and hungry groan erupted from deep in Castiel's throat, thankfully lost amid the loud sounds from the crowd and music.

Dean...?

Castiel watched in paralyzed awe as the mechanic dipped his hips and and threw his head back, enthusiastically hitting the notes of the chorus line. A second singer, leaning in closely, nearly face-to-face with Dean managed to draw Castiel's attention briefly. This new man was taller, with long brown hair and handsome features. Castiel felt a tense jolt of unexpected jealousy shoot through him as the two singers leaned into each other's sides, mouths only inches apart to hit the final lyrics of the chorus.

When they finally broke apart, Castiel released a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. Looking down, he found that his hands were clenched tightly on the edge of the table. He slowly relaxed them and pulled them away, trembling.

His eyes were pulled back to the twisting and shaking form on the stage.

How was this possible?

Castiel tried to think as the man onstage expertly belted out more perfectly sung lines.

He's a mechanic- for God's sake! A sexy, grease splattered, sweaty-

Dean suddenly spun around to face the drummer- 'Benny' Castiel now recognized- and the sight of Dean's rolling and dipping ass, cupped snuggly by the tight shredded jeans, abruptly ended all of Castiel's brain functions.

…-^o^-…

Gabriel was thoroughly impressed by the surprisingly high quality of the concert, and the venue in general. After spending almost a year and a half in Lawrence, he was shocked to have overlooked such a interesting place.

Of course, when you owned two condos, a ranch, and three country homes all over the county, finding a location to have wild parties and drink alcohol was never really an issue.

Garth and many of the other officers had spoken highly of the Road House, and the local band 'Colt', but Gabriel had never took the time from his own wild weekends to branch out far enough to make it here.

It was a shame, too, he noted. The music was top notch. He wasn't into rock himself, per se, but Castiel had been a huge fan when he was younger. He had begged Gabriel to take him to concerts when he was a teenager, to watch all his favorite bands live.

Ok. So, he hadn't actually 'begged' Gabriel. All Castiel had really needed to do was mention that it would make him 'very happy' to go, then turn his hopeful blue eyes on his big brother. Gabriel would be making arrangement before Castiel could manage the first wide-eyed blink.

Gabriel smiled to himself, thinking back on how similar this concert was to the those past shows, or 'Brotherly Bonding Trips', as he liked to call them.

He cast a smug glance over to his brother now, sitting a few feet away, and froze.

Castiel was completely enraptured by the scene onstage. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were following the movements of the performers like he was hypnotized.

Well, Gabriel thought in genuine surprise, THAT is a look I haven't seen in a while.

He watched as Castiel's tongue dipped out quickly, licking his lips.

Gabriel turned his attention back to the stage, sizing up which piece of eye-candy had caught his little brother's eye.

Hmm, he thought to himself, the only two real lookers were the singing guitarists. So, was it 'Tall, Dark and Handsome', or the shorter light haired 'Adonis'? The taller one looked a bit closer in appearance to Castiel's ex, Dick. For all his personality flaws, Castiel had still maintained that Dick was a attractive.

He focused his attention between his captivated brother and the men onstage, looking for any indication of which man Castiel was undressing with his eyes.

As the song winded to a close, the taller man swung to the side of the stage to finish off his guitar riff, while the shorter man in the black shirt dropped enthusiastically onto his knees, taking the mike with him, crooning the ending lines with gusto.

Castiel lips pulled back into a full blown smile- teeth and everything, Gabriel observed in shock, jaw almost dropping from the sheer rarity of the event.

Adonis, it is.

…-^o^-…

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh-my-GOD! You see him, right? The blue-eyed one near Jody?" Jo was practically hopping up and down, arm clutching her mother's tightly as she pointed in the direction of the booth.

"Yes, Honey, I can see him. Now would you let go of my arm so we can get back to work?" Ellen released a worn-out sigh. Tonight was hectic enough without her daughter falling madly in love with a handsome customer again.

"That's 'him', Mom! Dean's man-crush from the shop on Monday!" She practically squealed the words over the loud music.

Ellen's attention immediately snapped back to the stranger at the table. After knowing Dean for most of his life, and helping Mary to raise the boy, she had always taken a near-motherly interest in his love life. It had bothered her the way he had burned through girlfriends. She had high hopes for Lisa, but realized fairly early that Dean wasn't genuinely in love with the woman. It had been terribly painful to watch the proposal.

So, when the group had discussed the details of Dean's smitten behavior over a random man on Monday, she had given the idea a considerable amount of thought. As much as Dean acted the part of skirt-chasing playboy, she knew that he wasn't finding whatever it was he needed in the various women he hooked up with.

Maybe there was the smallest of possibilities that the elusive connection that Dean was desperately looking for wasn't where he expected.

She peered closely at the dark-haired man in the distant booth, the flashing of bright colored lights crossing over him.

He was certainly attractive, just as Ash had described. But more importantly was the Look he was directing at the stage.

A girl could get pregnant from a look like that. Hell, Ellen felt a little flash of residual heat just from watching the man's eyes following Dean's movements.

She turned back to the drinks she was preparing, as Jo excitedly commented on how adorable the man was, and how it was a shame he was almost definitely gay. Ellen half-listened to her daughter, while thinking to herself.

Clearly the man was interested in Dean. But, would Dean be open to the idea of dating another man? Ellen tried to think of a time or situation when Dean had made a mention of his views on gay men. Ash had certainly been very up-front about his dating life around the group, but he had always kept the more intimate details to himself. Dean had seemed to take Ash's comments in stride, but never really said anything one way or the other about his feelings on the matter.

Ellen sighed to herself, frowning. She wanted Dean to be happy. The last few months had been hard to watch, for everyone. If there was even the slightest possibility that Dean had seen something he liked in this man, Castiel, then she was determined to see where it lead.

Even if it crashed and burned before it could really begin.

…-^o^-…

By the time the last song came to an end, Dean was exhausted. His body was buzzing from the adrenaline and he was coated in a thin sheen of salty sweat.

It felt great.

He, Sam and Benny stood at the front of the stage, thanking the screaming audience and taking their bows.

The lights were turned back on, illuminating the the back lot and the large interior of the bar room. Sam made a quick exit off stage, and Benny dashed off to greet someone at one of the tables.

That left Dean alone to fend off the overwhelming number of super-excited women crowding the front of the stage.

He forced himself to keep his smile planted as the women asked him questions like, 'Are you seeing anyone?', 'Do you have plans for tonight?', and 'Will you have a few drinks with us?'

Dean was accustomed to the attention. On most nights, he would bask in the compliments and flirt back. He would even consider taking one of his lovely fans home for private concert.

But, after the last several months, his enthusiasm had hit a low he never would have thought possible. Once Lisa had fled, he had tried to compensate by hooking up with the random chicks that flocked to his shows and hung out around the Road House.

But, the thrill was gone now. The desperate pleading faces meant nothing to him. Their light caresses on his arms and chest, and the thick smell of their strong perfumes put him off.

He worked to keep his smile on as he chatted back, winking at the women and leaning in to chuckle at something they said. He was going to kill Sam and Benny for ditching him to these hungry crocodiles.

He raised his head, laughing at a joke a blond had just made, searching for the tall frame of his younger brother, hoping to make a quick escape by pretending he needed to go speak to him about something.

Instead, his eyes locked onto a wide pair of bright blue ones, for the second time that week.

The recognition was instantaneous for Dean.

Castiel.

Dean was so startled by the unexpected shock of seeing the stranger again so soon, that he didn't realize that he was standing still, staring at the man and ignoring the flock of women clustered around him, until the man broke the eye contact and began sliding from his booth hurriedly.

Wait- is he LEAVING? Dean thought with something close to panic.

Without bothering to say goodbye to the disappointed women, Dean bolted in the direction of the booth, eager to catch the businessman before he managed to run off on him again.

…-^o^-…

Castiel only made it about ten hurried steps from the booth, heading straight for an escape out the front door, when a blond older woman suddenly appeared in his path, smiling.

"You must be one of Garth's friends," she stated over the noise, throwing a firm arm around his shoulder and turning him back towards the booth.

Castiel fought the growing alarm, worried that Dean was going to appear at any moment.

It had been a complete accident that Dean had caught him staring. Castiel had been engrossed in the show, eagerly counting the number of times he had caught a flash of belly button, or a wink into the audience. He had spent one entire song following the slow trek of a single glistening bead of sweat as it curved across the the sharp angles of Dean's face and cheekbones, and dipped past his neck to disappear under the dark shirt.

By the end of the show, Castiel was overly-hot, with dull pulses of lust rippling through his body every single second. He couldn't pull himself away.

He watched as Dean moved off the stage, into the excited mass of attractive women. Watched as he smiled, and grinned, winked, and laughed.

The women surrounding him were clearly delighted by the handsome singer's attention, draping themselves onto his arms and leaning into his words. He seemed in his element, doting on the beautiful women and playing into their expectations.

What would it feel like, Castiel wondered with a desperate pang of longing, to lean onto Dean's arm, and have him whisper a breathy chuckle into his ear.

Then Dean had looked up, and instantly met Castiel's eyes.

They stared in mutual shock, almost as if Dean could read what Castiel had been thinking, and see how his body hummed with need.

God, Castiel had thought with sudden terror, Could Dean tell how turned on he was even from that distance?

Castiel had reacted to his growing fear and rising lust the best way that he knew how-

-he had fled.

Only to be abruptly stopped and turned back around by this mysterious woman with the friendly smile.

As she led him back to the table, his worst fears were realized. Dean suddenly appeared from the direction of the stage, a huge smile lighting up his features when he saw Castiel.

"Hey! I can't believe you're here." Dean grinned genuinely at Castiel. He turned his eyes to the woman who was still clasping Castiel's shoulder, almost as if she was intentionally preventing his escape.

"Ellen, you've met him already?" The woman, Ellen, shook her head and nodded to Garth and the rest of the booth who were watching the exchange with interest.

"Not yet. I was just coming over so Garth could introduce me to his friends." She stated.

Dean's head turned in surprise to Garth, "What? How do you know him?" Dean's confusion was evident, his eyes also now taking in Gabriel still seated, with a barely controlled smirk on his face as he watched.

Garth answered by introducing the two men. "Dean, Ellen, these are my friends Gabriel and his brother, Castiel. We know each other from my job." He turned to Dean and continued, "How do you know Castiel?"

Dean's confused face finally returned to a smile, "We met Monday at the Auto Shop. It's actually a really funny story. I'm surprised Benny or Ash haven't told you about it already."

From where he stood, Castiel felt a blush begin burning its way up his neck.

So much for not making an impression, Castiel thought. What did Dean and his friends think about him? From the way Dean was acting, it seemed like he was sincerely happy to see him again. It was an achievement, in Castiel's mind, to even be remembered by the handsome man. In this case, however, it was a double-edged sword...

Castiel's attention was pulled back when Dean addressed him, his white teeth flashing, "You're going to stay for a while and have some drinks, right? Man, I have so many questions I've been dying to ask you."

The rest of the bar was emptying quickly, and the employees were beginning to clean-up. Castiel finally managed to pull his eyes up to meet Dean's, "It looks like this place is closing up for the night."

Dean immediately answered by turning to Ellen, "It's fine, right Ellen? We'll just sit over here and talk for a while."

"I think that would be great. I don't mind at all." Suddenly, Castiel felt a firm nudge from the woman's hand on his back, urging him back into the booth. "I'll get you all set up with some drinks, and you can take as much time as you want."

As she left, Jody slid herself out of the booth, stating that she had to be at work first thing in the morning, and giving Dean a quick hug and congratulations.

As she walked away, Dean slid himself into the booth and immediately leaned forward to face Castiel.

Castiel managed to remain (mostly) calm, with the exception of small twitch to pull his hands in, and away from Dean's body heat, heart fluttering at the closeness.

Dean didn't seem to notice the self-conscious gesture, "So, you gotta tell me, Cas. What the Hell did you get up to last weekend?" His bright smile and green eyes as he leaned to meet Castiel's eyes, were so open and excited that Castiel couldn't help but return his smile with one of his own.

"It's actually a, uh, a pretty long story," Castiel began, as the traces of nervousness slowly began to leave him. It was difficult to remain uncomfortable when Dean seemed so relaxed and interested...

…-^o^-…

"Are you absolutely sure, Jo?" Sam asked for the third time, his eyes glued on the group at the booth.

Sam, Jess, and Jo were huddled on the far side of the bar, watching as Dean laughed loudly along with Garth and the brown haired stranger, who Jess had told them was Castiel's older brother, Gabriel. They couldn't make out the words, but occasionally Gabriel would lean in to contribute something to what Castiel was saying, and the group would burst out laughing again.

"I'm positive. The man from the shop Monday was named Castiel. And Dean obviously recognizes him. It's definitely the same guy."

Sam turned his still incredulous eyes to Jess. "And you're saying he's the new boss at your office? The one you were pretty sure was gay?"

Jess just nodded her head silently as she watched the group, equally as surprised as Sam.

Sam turned his head back to the group at the booth, watching his brother closely.

He hadn't seen Dean smile so much in a long time. Even before the incident with Lisa. Dean was more of a solemn joker, a smart-ass even. He really only ever relaxed around Sam and their tight knit group.

Seeing him focus so much attention on the dark haired man across from him was completely out of character.

Holy shit... Dean has a crush. On a dude.

My brother is actually flirting with a dude.

As if to drive the fact home, Dean said something directly to Castiel, then turned his eyes down before glancing back up with a grin and raising his eyebrows.

Castiel, who had seemed to Sam to remain serious and stoic during most of the conversation, had finally broken down and cracked into an embarrassed grin, which he quickly tried to cover with his glass of beer. The rest of the group was practically in tears from laughing.

Oh. My. God. That was the 'Look'! Dean just gave a guy his male-equivalent of a flirty 'hair toss'.

"Oh, shit..." he managed to stutter out loud, his voice low, "My brother is gay."

Jo snorted uncontrollably, and Jess reached her hand across to pat his comfortingly, as she nodded, "Yep. He's got it bad."

A call from the kitchen pulled Jo away. She frowned, casting an eager eye back at the booth. "Call for me ASAP if they start making out." She grinned and winked before ducking away.

They watched Dean and Castiel talk for a while longer. Sam wasn't sure if he should be laughing at his brother finally falling hard for someone, or worried about how to bring the matter up. Did Dean even realize what he was feeling?

Shaking off his worried thoughts, he took Jess's hand into his own, and turned to her with a smile. "Well, I guess introducing you to my brother is going to go over a lot easier than we thought, since you work with his crush."

Jess laughed happily and planted a kiss on his cheek. Together they made their way over to the booth to join the group.

...-^o^-...

Ellen: OMG Mary, Dean's man-crush was at the Road House tonight for the show. He's a cutie! Your son did that thing, you know, with the eyes and the laugh...Classic…LOL

Mary: To a man? Check your eyes Hon! LOL, so funny! Told John, he says lay off the alcohol at work. : D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, there it is. Mechanic!Dean is also Singerinaband!Dean. And Castiel wasn't able to flee this time (Shout out to Ellen).
> 
> Next up: I'm wondering how Gabriel plans to help out his little brother.
> 
> And does Sam intend to confront Dean about his crush?
> 
> And what about the shadowy figure!? (Cue dramatic reverb).
> 
> Lots of excitement in store!


	9. Look But Don't Touch

Castiel entered his apartment and flung himself tiredly onto his couch. He lay there for several moments, head buzzing and body pulsing with the last thrums of excitement.

Dean is absolutely perfect, he thought morosely to himself. He couldn't even have the decency to be an over-confident jerk. No, he had to have a great personality, and sense of humor, and be impossible to dislike.

Really, what the Hell...?

The kitten hopped onto Castiel's stomach and began rubbing its tiny head against his resting hand. Castiel chuckled warmly despite himself and began absent-mindedly rubbing the kitten as it purred happily.

…-^o^-….

He just spent hours chatting with Dean, Gabriel, Garth, and, as it turned out-Dean's brother Sam, and Jess.

That had been a surprise. At some point early on after the show, Jess had appeared next to their booth with the tall singer that Castiel had seen on stage with Dean.

After a quick explanation, it came to light that Sam was Dean's younger brother, and Jess's boyfriend. Castiel had immediately flashed back to the enormous box of chocolate that Jess had produced from her desk on Monday. So, this tall, handsome man was the reason for the chocolates and for Jess's habit of checking her phone constantly throughout the day. Well done, Jess, he thought.

Castiel smiled to himself, happy to know that Sam was actually related to Dean. The two men seemed to be very close, mocking and joking with each other throughout the night. It had put Castiel even more at ease to see their friendly banter, and have an opportunity to observe Dean in his natural environment.

Dean had spent the evening as the definition of hospitality and attentiveness. Every time Castiel spoke he would find Dean's bright green eyes focused on him and what he was saying. He never missed a single one of Castiel's subtle jokes, and even backed him up as he verbally reprimanded Gabriel for his antics.

Castiel felt like the only person Dean could see. And he greedily basked in the handsome man's attention.

And that was the problem.

The evening had been like a separate world. A world where nothing else mattered but the warm glow of green eyes meeting his, and the deep chuckles erupting from soft looking lips.

It wasn't reality.

In reality, Dean was only listening to a mildly interesting story from an odd stranger. His friendly smile was just that- friendly. His questions and comments were just polite small talk. The way he would meet Castiel's eyes and wink confidentially as he teased Sam was just-

Well, it certainly wasn't an invitation to excuse themselves from the table and rip each other's clothes off in the shadows of the empty lot outside.

And that, unfortunately, was all Castiel could think as Dean sat across from him. How inappropriate it would be to launch himself across the table, plant himself on the beautiful man's lap, and taste those rosy lips.

It was dangerous to get this to close to Dean.

The fact was really driven home by an unthinking comment from Garth.

They had just been laughing about Dean's habit of bear-hugging the nearest people to him when he was completely wasted, which Dean had insisted was just him trying to use neighbors to keep his balance, when Garth spoke up.

"Yeah, man. That used to drive Lisa crazy-jealous." He seemed to realize his mistake before he finished his sentence but it was already to late.

Castiel watched as Sam stiffened and Jess looked worriedly down. In his confusion he looked over to Dean, planning to send him a questioning look about the sudden mood change.

Dean's face had changed, a frown playing across his downturned lips, and a distant look passing across his eyes. Castiel's hand suddenly clenched, tempted to reach out and touch the man.

"Sorry, Dean..." Garth muttered.

Dean's eyes darted up, realizing that everyone's eyes were on him. Suddenly, the smile was back on as if it had never left.

"No worries, man. Anyway, Lisa never got nearly as pissed as Jeana. You guys remember her, right?" He burst out laughing, and Castiel could almost believe he meant it. "She full-on punched this one chick who was holding me up on one of my benders! Then they both ended up in this super-hot chick fight, and Ellen had to separate them by pulling them apart by their hair." The rest of the group finally returned to laughing, imagining the scene.

Castiel tried to chuckle along with them, but a tight knot of pain had formed in his chest at Dean's words.

Dean is straight.

Not just straight, but apparently still emotionally attached to a woman from a previous relationship.

That sealed it. Castiel could look, but he could never touch. Dean was out of his reach.

He silently chided himself for even entertaining the idea of Dean and him ever being together. Of course Dean was straight. He was just a friendly guy, with a good sense of humor, who was slightly interested in Castiel's wild weekend. That was it.

Before Castiel could let the knowledge really sink in, Dean was leaning forward conspiratorially, saying something about Jess not knowing how old Sam was when he finally stopped wetting the bed. Castiel had to smile back at the obvious jab, snapping out of his somber thoughts, just as Sam flung a coaster at Dean's head.

By the time everyone was finally worn out and ready to leave, it was already two a.m.

Dean had been reluctant to see Castiel go, insisting that he at least set a day when he would stop by the Road House to properly meet the rest of the group of friends.

Castiel had been hesitant. The overwhelming desire just to be near Dean's glowing, warm personality warred hard with his dislike of sustained sexual torture.

Knowing that Dean was straight didn't just flip a switch to turn off Castiel's desire. It just made him feel worse about wanting the man.

But Dean was waiting for his answer, eyes filled with hopeful expectation, and the potential for another bright smile resting in the corner of his perfect mouth. Castiel realized that he was craving Dean's smile. He would have agreed to anything to be the reason for Dean to smile.

So, of course, he agreed. Next Tuesday at six. The 'not-a-date' was set. And Castiel was rewarded with another bright smile and enthusiastic wave good-bye.

He watched from his taxi window as Dean's muscular frame disappeared out of sight in the darkness.

From the seat beside him, Gabriel practically sang, "I know what you are thinking...and you ought to be Ashamed." He chuckled merrily.

Castiel's head snapped around to look at his brother, the full implication of Gabriel's presence tonight finally dawning on him. Oh. God.

"Don't. You. Dare. Don't you dare try ANYTHING, Gabriel!" Full-blown panic was seizing Castiel, amplified by the alcohol in his system.

How could he possibly have forgotten about Gabriel?! Of course, the answer was simple- Dean had been the only thing that mattered to Castiel from the second he had appeared, shaking his firm-looking ass all over the stage. The fact that his ultra-intrusive brother with no respect for personal boundaries was happily watching Castiel, and undoubtedly taking notes on his obvious interest in the singer, had gone completely unnoticed until now.

This can't happen, Castiel thought with alarm, Gabriel could NOT be allowed to ruin this for him. If he tried to force Dean and Castiel together through some insane match-making plot, than Dean might never want to see him again. The thought was crippling.

Castiel's hand shot forward, grabbing his older brother's shirt and pulling him in closely. His voice was edged with the threat of the wrath of Heaven, itself, "If you try to stick your nose into this, Gabriel, I swear to God…" He searched hard for the harshest thing he could think of to use against his brother. The alcohol was not helping his brain functions, and his desperation grew to almost impossible levels of fear,"I'll…I'll…"

Nothing. He couldn't think clearly enough to come up with a single threat.

He released his hold on the shirt and looked into Gabriel's expectant eyes, his voice expressing his hopelessness, "Just, please. Please don't scare Dean away. It's fine for us to just be friends. I REALLY want us to be friends. So…please, Gabe."

Gabriel's eyes softened, and he looked at Castiel closely. Castiel held his gaze, silently pleading.

"You really think it's okay? That you can just put your own feelings aside and act all buddy-buddy with him?" Gabriel's voice was serious as he stared intently into Castiel's eyes.

"I know I can. I'm not looking for love anymore, Gabe. I'm tired of making the same stupid mistakes. Dean is straight and he just wants to be a friend. That's all I need, too. Just a friend with no romantic complications- for once in my life. Please, don't ruin this for me." He was practically begging.

Gabriel looked at his brother with a frown for a few moments longer before sliding back in his seat with a frustrated huff. Castiel heard him mutter, "You are hopeless, baby brother."

Castiel frowned to himself, praying that Gabriel would respect his request.

…-^o^-…

Castiel snapped abruptly back to the couch and the kitten when the little animal began enthusiastically trying to eat his hair.

Yawning loudly, he dragged himself up and off to bed. His last conscious thought before drifting off to sleep was about how he had to wait three more days for Tuesday.

…-^o^-…

The warmth of hot skin sliding against skin was like electricity. Scalding fingers left tingling trails in their wake as they sank lower, brushing against sensitive hairs.

"Mmmhh, Dean-," Castiel groaned in anticipation, his voice practically gravel.

Dean leaned in and allowed his hot lips to trail slowly across Castiel's throat. The rough stubble of his chin caused a delightful burn on the soft skin, making Castiel moan deeply again.

His body shuddered and twisted beneath Dean's, his hands searching for, and desperately clamping onto, the other man's.

Dean chuckled into Castiel's throat as the panting man tried to urge Dean's hand to move further.

Finally, Dean reached the hard, throbbing heat of Castiel's cock, grasping the length of it firmly.

Castiel writhed against him, trying to thrust his hips up to increase the delicious pressure.

"D-Dean-please. Mmmhh, please-!" Castiel threw his head back, hands tightening on Dean's wrists, as Dean began sliding his own up and down Castiel's erection.

The deep moans and panting breaths from Castiel were causing resounding throbs from Dean's own erection. He pressed his hips down, grinding his cock against Castiel's thigh in time with his pumping hands.

Castiel's hands, desperate for something solid to grip as he tossed and shuddered, slid all over Dean's body, nails digging and dragging across the heated flesh.

They were both close. Moaning and kissing whatever they could reach. Slick bodies sliding smoothly as they rocked against each other.

Dean lifted his head from where he was nipping and sucking harshly on Castiel's collar, and gazed down.

Castiel's eyes were squeezed shut, mouth open to gulp in labored breaths. From deep in his throat, an almost pained moan was sounding. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his lips were dark and bruised from attention.

Dean knew they wouldn't last much longer.

He moved his trembling free-hand, sliding it into Castiel's dark and unruly hair and tightening his grip.

The hard tug caused Castiel's bright blue eyes to fly open and lock onto Dean's as he moaned loudly. The raw lust and heat in the wide blue orbs, sent Dean careening uncontrollably over the edge as he slammed his mouth hard against Castiel's.

At the same time, he felt Castiel shudder his release, digging his nails deep into Dean's back, pulling them both even closer together.

Dean's entire body shook and rocked as he pumped his hips, riding out his orgasm.

His muscles hummed from pleasure, and he gasped deep breaths, releasing wrecked moans with every exhale.

He tilted his head down, lips seeking out the softness of Castiel's, but only finding coarse cotton fabric instead. His hands groped out, and grasped sheets where heated skin had just been.

Still dazed from his release, Dean managed to force his eyes to crack open slowly.

The light from sun breaking through the curtains of his window burned his eyes, and he abruptly closed them again.

As his muscles began to relax, he stretched them out, feeling them tingle and pulse as they slid over the warm sheets beneath him.

Holy fuck, he chuckled happily to himself, That one is going in the 'Wet Dream Hall of Fame'.

He reluctantly rolled his still shuddering body over, breathing in deeply as the remaining fog of sleep drifted from his mind.

He smiled uncontrollably, grasping as the memory of the incredible dream tried to slip away. The image of Castiel's mussed hair and lust blown eyes danced across his mind, making him hum contently.

Suddenly, as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been thrown over him, his eyes snapped open and his body shot up.

What the High-Holy-Fuck!?

He just dreamed about Cas! He just had a wet-fucking-dream about Cas! What the Hell?!

Dean ripped the warm sheets off his cooling body, and, yes, his boxers were damp with cum.

Holy shit. Oh- fuck my life. I came thinking about a dude. I GOT OFF to a dream about a dude!

The picture of Castiel, head thrown back in ecstasy, flashed across his mind and his body pulsed in pleasure at the memory.

Dean ran his shaking hands over his face and through his short hair, forcing his heart to slow back down to a normal speed.

This was fine, he tried desperately to convince himself. This doesn't mean anything. It was just one of those weird dreams that everybody has. I've had them before, like when I was younger-! Yeah, he'd had all kinds of weird wet dreams. The history teacher, Mrs. Gregor. A few awkward ones about Jo. Even one featuring the blue chick from X-Men. It was just another completely natural, meaningless dream created by his subconscious because he hadn't been laid in a while.

Right. Yes. He was just a little horny. No way to control who his mind threw into his dreams.

He took a few more controlled breaths.

"I am totally fine," he stated out loud. "That was nothing. Shit like this just happens sometimes. No need to dwell on it." He nodded to himself.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door, making him jump guiltily.

"Dean? Are you awake?" Sam's muffled voice called through the door.

"Yeah," Dean's voice cracked. He cleared it and spoke louder, "Yeah, I'm up Sammy."

"Ok. It's, like, almost noon, dude. I thought I was going to have to check for a pulse soon." Sam said jokingly from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, no. I'm fine. Everything's fine. I'll be out in few minutes." Dean responded hurriedly, rolling out of his bed to strip off his soiled boxers. God, he felt like a fucking teenager again.

He heard Sam shuffle away down the hall.

Everything is going to be just fine, he repeated to himself a final time as he grabbed a change of clothes and ducked out of his room straight for the bathroom to take a nice, refreshing, ice-cold shower.

…-^o^-…

Sam picked up his phone when he heard it tweet, signaling a text.

ASH: I can't believe I missed out on everything last night. : (

SAM: No worries. We can tell you all about it. You were definitely right, tho- Dean was practically drooling in the guy's lap.

ASH: : ) Still wish I could have seen it. Can't wait till Tuesday!

SAM: I think we need to take this slow. We need a plan.

ASH: I'm down. Let me talk with the others. You be sure not to spook your brother. He's definitely a flight risk at this point.

SAM: Got it

Sam set his phone on the coffee table in front of him, and listened to the sound of doors opening and closing down the hall, followed by the sound of the shower being turned on.

"This is going to be tough," Sam sighed to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The line 'I know what you are thinking, and you ought to be ashamed' is credited to Victor/Victoria, the Movie/Musical (So cute-I had to use it!)
> 
> Next up: The kitten gets himself into a...predicament.
> 
> Cas needs a hero (and a big ladder)!
> 
> Omelets and manipulative brothers.


	10. Help! Lucifer is Gonna Fall!

Castiel's Saturday started much earlier than his aching head would have liked.

The kitten had to be dropped off at the local pet store for the adoption event. Castiel arrived a few minutes before ten a.m., and watched as the women from the rescue set up the cage and had him place the kitten inside.

The kitten, who had been nervous about leaving the apartment, crouched low in the back corner of the cage, making angry noises whenever people passed by.

A glance around showed Castiel that the majority of the other cats on display were smaller kittens, almost all balls of colorful fluff.

Tough competition, he thought.

His foster kitten looked much older and significantly less cute in comparison. Castiel felt a twang of sympathy for the little guy. He decided to stay for a little while, hoping to help get the kitten adopted by explaining the circumstances of the little orphan's recent rescue to prospective parents.

He ended up staying all day, hoping that each family walking in the direction for the tables would be the ones who would fall in love with the little black kitten, and take him into their loving home. He needn't have bothered. All the families that came to see the kittens took one look inside the cage where the cat hissed at them, and moved quickly past to see the cuter kittens. The few that did stop at the cage tended to be women, who were more interested in Castiel than his charge.

And so, it was with frustration that Castiel left with the kitten to return home. The small animal didn't seem upset by the day's failure, racing excitedly out from his carrier and off to jump around the furniture.

Castiel gave him a handful of treats anyway. They were more for his own benefit than the kitten's. The poor little guy didn't have a single person in the world that wanted anything to do with him. Except Castiel. And even he was trying to pass the little fellow off to anyone who would take him.

"You know I can't keep you, right?" He mumbled to the happily munching kitten, "My life is a mess. You deserve better."

The kitten chose to ignore him.

…-^o^-…

Castiel awoke Sunday morning to the sound of meowing from the living room. A glance at the clock on his nightstand showed that it was 6:43 a.m. He groaned angrily and pulled his pillow over his head, drowning out the cries.

He awoke again to loud cries, this time the clock indicating 9:13 a.m.

Feeling frustrated, he called tiredly for the kitten, hoping the sound of his voice would attract the animal to him in his bed, where he could hold it until it calmed down. Crying was fairly usual the first few nights, but the animal had stopped after that, finding ways to preoccupy himself while Castiel slept.

However, the kitten did not come racing to the sound of his voice as usual, and instead continued the loud crying.

Finally, Castiel thrust the covers off of himself and rolled out of the warmth of his bed.

"This is exactly why I don't want a pet," Castiel stated groggily to himself as he padded barefoot toward the sounds of the mewling.

His stomach dropped in terror when he arrived at the entrance to the living room. Castiel's apartment has high, vaulted ceilings. It had been the selling point for Castiel when he chose the condo.

The kitten was crying and pacing in alarm from the top window alcove twenty feet off the floor. A busted wall sconce lying on the floor and a large painting hanging askew showed the path that the terrified cat had used to scale to the great height.

When he saw Castiel, he began crying louder, and leaning his small body over the edge of the perch, as if planning to try an jump from the great height. The only thing below the alcove was the narrow edge of a desk that was sitting along the wall, and hardwood flooring.

"DON'T JUMP!" Castiel shouted loudly at the terrified kitten. Whether or not the cat understood, Castiel couldn't guess, but it did move back temporarily from the edge. Without taking his eyes away from the little creature, he shot over to the couch and pulled the cushions off, throwing them across the floor beneath the alcove.

Unsure whether the cushions would be soft enough to save the cat if he fell, Castiel raced through his apartment searching for any pieces of furniture that would be tall enough for him to climb up and save the animal.

Five hectic minutes later, Castiel was balancing dangerously on a chair, stacked on his coffee table, which was sitting on top of his kitchen table. The furniture slid and tilted dangerously beneath him as he reached up on his tip-toes trying to stretch the last foot needed to grab the kitten.

The cat would have nothing to do with the hazardous rescue. It dodged further back into the alcove, near the window pane, and far from Castiel's reach.

Cursing at the animal, and trying not to lose his tenuous balance, Castiel was forced to retreat.

Pacing back and forth as the kitten renewed its cries and continued leaning dangerous close to the edge, Castiel tried to think what to do.

He could try to add more padding below the alcove and wait for the kitten to risk the jump or fall. But the idea of the small body dropping helplessly from such a height made Castiel almost physically sick.

He needed a ladder.

Grabbing his phone, he dialed the number of his brother.

"...Cassie? What the heck? Do you know what time it is?" His brother's sleepy voice answered. In the backround, Castiel heard techno music.

"Gabe- it's bad. I need a big ladder, right now!"

"What? Whoa, bro! What's going on? Are you ok?"

"It's the kitten, Gabe. He's stuck up in the living room alcove and I can't get him down. He's scared and he wont stop acting like he's going to jump! I need a ladder. You've got one at one of your houses, right? I need you to bring one quick!" Castiel lowered the phone from his mouth, but Gabriel could still hear his panicked voice as it yelled to the kitten, "No! Don't you do it! Stay right there and wait!" Castiel raised the phone back to his mouth, "Gabe, please hurry. I think he's been stuck up there for a long time!"

"Okay, okay. Just calm down. I think I know where I can get a big ladder. Just wait and I'll be there soon."

Castiel hung up the phone and watched nervously as the kitten stared down at him, pleading for help.

"Just wait, little buddy. Help is on the way."

…-^o^-…

Dean woke up to the sound of his phone ringing around 9:30.

To tired to think of looking at the caller ID, he answered the phone with a a voice slurred from sleep.

"Mmmmyellooo?"

"Deano! Glad you're up! This is Gabriel- Castiel's brother."

Dean snapped awake at the sound of Castiel's name. "Oh, uh, yeah. Gabriel." Dean searched his mind, only vaguely remembering that a small, and very strange brown haired man had been at the booth with them Friday night. "What's up, Gabriel? And how did you get my number?"

"Oh, you know, I hit up Garth. Listen, buddy. Castiel's having a minor crisis at his apartment. Do you have a ladder that can extend over twenty-feet?"

"Wait- what do you mean a 'minor crisis'? Is he okay?" Dean was already jumping up from his bed a throwing open drawers to pull out clean clothes.

"Stay focused, Deano. You got a ladder or not?"

"Um, yeah, we've got lots at the Auto Shop."

"Perfect. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes." Dean heard the phone click as Castiel's brother hung up. Despite his concern for Castiel's safety, he couldn't help but wonder why Gabriel had seemed almost cheerful as he arranged the meeting time. Weird guy.

Finally dressed, Dean stopped to look self-consciously in his long standing mirror. That was when he realized that his reflection was smiling broadly.

He was getting to see Castiel earlier than expected. He rarely ever scrutinized his appearance, even when he was planning a date with Lisa or one of his many other flings. This time, he took an extra minute to straighten out his short hair and struggle with the decision to tuck his shirt in around the belt buckle portion, or let it hang down. It was a surprisingly tough decision. Frustrated to be wasting time over something trivial when Cas needed his help, Dean finally just left the shirt hanging down, and quickly headed for the front door.

As he passed the living room windows, he noticed his brother and the new girlfriend, Jess, were outside in the sunny backyard contorting themselves separately into painful looking yoga positions.

Was everyone around Dean a bunch of weirdos?

He left without saying good-bye, concerned that distracting the two may lead to a snapped vertebrae.

…-^o^-…

It had been almost forty-minutes when Castiel finally heard the sound of his doorbell ringing.

He moved from where he had been pacing helplessly beneath the alcove, listening to the pathetic crying of the kitten.

Gabriel hadn't been answering any of Castiel's texts, and he was beginning to worry that his brother had passed back out immediately after taking the call.

He ran to the door, not bothering to look through the peep hole, gearing himself up to chew out his brother for not answering him.

As he threw the door open, his words choked in throat before they could get out.

…-^o^-…

Gabriel had met Dean, and led with him following in the Auto Shop truck, to Castiel's condo.

The smaller man was covered in glitter and neon paint. His clothes were wrinkled, and even ripped in some places. When he first met Dean, and saw him staring, the little fellow had just winked confidently at him and proceeded on as if there was nothing strange about his appearance.

Dean shrugged it off, recalling Castiel's account of his previous weekend being mostly attributed to his older brother's poor choices.

Dean wasn't sure what he expected. He knew that Cas was going to be there, of course. He was prepared for the man to answer the door as Gabriel was repeatedly- and very annoyingly- pressing the doorbell.

In his mind, he was expecting Castiel: Nice suit- maybe dressed down a bit like he was a the concert. But, still very much the upper class, professional looking man that he had met twice already.

Instead, the door was flung open to reveal the very shirtless, wild-haired, flushed face of the man who had starred in Dean's incredible wet dream.

The heavy ladder almost slipped out of Dean's hands. The air left his lungs with a sudden WHOOMF.

Cas's eyes almost instantly locked onto his with a familiarity that Dean was beginning to enjoy. The bright blue seemed somehow more noticeable in the light of the morning sun shining from the various windows. They widened in- yes, Dean was sure this time- 'alarm' when he noticed Dean.

So, Dean thought, Gabriel had NOT told Castiel that Dean was coming with him. That explained the lack of clothing.

Dean eyes did another quick scan, taking in the wild ruffled hair, and soft cotton plaid pajama pants resting dangerously low on pale, lean hips. A dark trail of hair stretched down from his belly button, disappearing into the waist of the pants.

Thank you, Gabriel, you strange, wonderful little unthinking bastard.

Dean was forced to draw his attention back quickly, as Gabriel pushed forward, into the apartment and past an increasingly red-faced Castiel, carrying his portion of the large ladder.

Dean gave Cas a cheerful smile, as he went by. The poor guy seemed absolutely mortified to be seen in his pajamas. Dean tried not to chuckle. Some people embarrassed easy, he figured.

A series of loud meows drew Dean's attention up to a high ledge in the living room area. A small black shape, the kitten from the garage on Monday he recognized, was leaning near the edge. Directly below it, on the living room floor, a huge pile of cushions, blankets and pillows were laid out. To the side, a stack of furniture was standing precariously, clearly an effort at climbing to reach the animal.

Dean turned back to Castiel grinning, and saw that the man was at least three shades redder than before. Poor guy, Dean thought, trying not to laugh out loud.

"So, I guess the fire department was next on your call list, huh?" Dean chuckled.

"Dean- I am so sorry. I had no idea my brother was going to ask you to help." The man mumbled the apology, avoiding eye contact, his arms crossed almost shyly over his chest.

"Dean here doesn't mind at all, do you buddy?" Gabriel came over to slap Dean on the back and smile as he looked cheerfully back and forth between the two. "Well, I hate to have to run, but I promised my lady friends that I would be back with the chocolate syrup as soon as possible. Dean," he turned smile up at him, "Castiel makes incredible omelets. Make sure he fixes you up with breakfast for coming all the way out to help him."

And with that, the small man dashed out the door, shutting it with a resounding slam.

Dean and Castiel were alone.

Dean looked over at Cas, who was fixing a furious glare at the door his brother had exited through quickly.

Whoa. Dean thought, trying not to stare. Angry Cas was…sexy...?

He tried to shake the word from his mind, looking for something more appropriate to describe the man.

No, just sexy. No other word could come close to explaining the heat and giddiness that Dean felt as he observed Castiel's furrowed brows and frowning lips.

Shit! Dean hissed nervously at himself. What is wrong with me. I have one meaningless wet dream and now I can't even look at the guy without my mind dropping into the gutter.

Fortunately, a particularly loud cry from the kitten pulled both of their attention back to the important matter of the rescue.

"I'm, um, I'm just going to grab a shirt. Be right back." Castiel mumbled, already half-way down the hall before he finished. Dean caught a quick glimpse of a small tattoo just below the back of his neck. It looked like a small set of wings with a sword and halo between them.

Well, that's hot, Dean thought as the man and his tattoo disappeared at out of sight.

Trying to stay on track, he moved forward, extending the ladder out and setting it up along the wall. He could sense immediately when Cas returned to the room.

"So," Dean said humorously as he got everything set up, "You decided to keep it, even though it nearly got you killed, huh?"

"Um, not quite. I just agreed to foster him until a family adopts him. There weren't really any other options."

Dean smiled wider. "So, what? You just babysit him until someone calls asking about an unlucky cat that they can add to their family?" He felt a rush of happiness as he saw Castiel give his little half smile.

"No, I have to take him to 'adoption events' every Saturday." Dean bit back a laugh as Cas used cute air quotes. "But, if yesterday is anything to go off of, he may not be adopted for a long time. He has a pretty bad attitude with other people and cats."

Castiel joined him, standing beside the base of the ladder as Dean began to climb. He called down as he moved up, "What did you decide to name him?"

From below, Castiel paused before calling up, "I haven't really decided yet. Uh, I've just been calling him Cat." Dean laughed at the embarrassed admission.

When he finally made it to the alcove, the kitten had fled nervously to the back, hissing loudly with fur standing up. He noticed that there were several small toys and even a few cat treats sitting on the flat surface. Dean glanced down to Castiel and held one up questioningly.

"I…I didn't want him to be scared, so I threw a few things up there for him. You can just knock them down. Thanks." Dean turned back away where Cas couldn't see him and took a moment to breath deeply. Geez, the guy was fucking adorable.

Dean made several grabs before finally catching ahold of the wriggling ball of angry claws and teeth. Trying to keep the terrified kitten in one hand while scaling the long length of the ladder where Cas waited nervously below was difficult.

He managed to get safely down, where Castiel reached out for the kitten. Instead of leaping happily into Castiel's waiting arms, the kitten launched up Dean's arm and dug its tiny claws into the soft skin of his neck.

Castiel jumped forward immediately, trying to unhinge the animal without hurting Dean. But, the kitten was committed. It would lose it grip on one paw and just shift to dig into another area. Dean winced painfully.

Suddenly, Castiel was so close that his wild hair was brushing against Dean's face.

It was soft, and smelled incredible. Dean took advantage of the temporary closeness to breath in the scent. Castiel was absorbed in trying to calm the cat and pull it loose. His warm breath was caressing Dean's stinging neck.

Dean cringed silently as he felt the beginning of an erection forming. A strong sense of guilt overcame him. Here he was, in a new friend's house, having lewd thoughts about him. It was completely inappropriate. Cas had no idea about being prominently featured in Dean's graphic sex dream. He would probably think Dean was gay if he ever found out about it. He would almost definitely not want to hang out again.

This is not a wet dream, Dean thought urgently, willing his body to listen as the kitten scratched him again mercilessly, You are just here to help out a friend. You are not gay. You cannot be having these kinds of thoughts about Cas.

The kitten decided at that moment to finally let go, taking a quick swipe at Castiel's already scratched hands, before jumping down and darting under the entertainment system.

Castiel moved away from Dean, worry evident all over his face and asked, "Are you okay, Dean? I am so sorry. He was just really freaked out. I promise he isn't normally like that."

Dean smiled as he looked into Castiel's wide, sincere eyes. "Lucifer." Dean stated.

Castiel frowned and tilted his head slightly to side.

Oh, shit. So fucking cute, Dean thought. Focus.

"The cat's name," Dean explained with a encouraging grin. "You should totally call him Lucifer. Maybe 'Lu' for short."

Castiel's confusion slowly shifted into that elusive half-smile as he understood what Dean was saying.

"Lucifer." He tested the name out, turning to glance over at the entertainment system where a pair of green eyes were visible. "…I like it."

He turned back to Dean with a full-blown smile this time, and Dean almost choked on his own breath.

Fuck. How did people not fall all over themselves daily trying to get Cas to smile for them? It was addicting. Dean thought as his pants tightened painfully.

Desperate to stay in the apartment longer, and to talk about anything that would take his mind off of the discomfort in his pants, he managed to blurt out, "So, Gabriel mentioned omelets?"

It's perfect, Dean congratulated himself, Since Gabriel had suggested that Castiel treat Dean to breakfast, Dean would have an excuse to spend more time with the man- assuming he wasn't forced to escape out the window to avoid humiliation because of his uncontrollable hard-on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Bonding over Tim Burton.
> 
> Dean counts Cas's smiles.
> 
> Accidental cuddling.
> 
> Eavesdropping.


	11. A Door Between Them

Castiel was making plans. They all involved Gabriel experiencing various sorts of untimely deaths.

Dean had helped Castiel put the furniture back in place, and reseat the sofa cushions and pillows. As they were working, a comfortable silence surrounded them. Occasionally, Dean would make a friendly observation about Castiel's apartment. One of the first things Dean expressed his approval on was the picture that the cat had scaled to reach the alcove. As Castiel moved the large piece from the wall to prevent further incidents, Dean commented, "I really like that one. It's different from the other framed band posters and stuff."

Castiel smiled at the painting. It was done in oils, with shockingly bright colors. The image was of a beautiful park, with a figure in a red cardigan flying a kite. "It's called 'Eternal Tuesday Afternoon'," Castiel stated quietly. "It's one of my mother's paintings. She passed away when I was very young."

Dean nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry to hear that. She was very talented."

Castiel smiled at Dean, and for several moments they stared at one another comfortably. Castiel was the first to break eye contact.

They finished tidying up the apartment just a few minutes later. The apartment wasn't excessively large or high-end. It had a small kitchen that overlooked the living room, where sunny rays of light were pouring inside. A hallway led to the large bathroom, and two bedrooms. Castiel had converted the second, smaller bedroom into a personal fitness room.

Castiel stood in his kitchen mixing the ingredients for two omelets, with the breakfast bar separating him from Dean who was excitedly perusing his DVD collection across the living room. Castiel had explained that most of the movies were actually Gabriel's old collection that Castiel had ended up keeping by default from the times in the past when Gabriel had brought them while visiting.

Every so often, Dean would excitedly shout out a title, and comment on how long it had been since he had watched that movie. His boyish excitement was making it impossible for Castiel to stay upset with his brother for the obvious set-up.

Dean is physically here, inside my apartment, touching my stuff. Castiel's mind buzzed. It was somehow even more intimate than when he had allowed his old boyfriends into his apartments in the past.

Castiel was having a tough time paying attention to what he was doing. Sure, Gabriel was a dick for not warning him ahead of time that he was enlisting Dean's help. And an even bigger dick for bailing immediately. But, even he had to admit that Gabriel's skills at manipulation were impressive. Plus, it wasn't like he had locked them up naked in a tiny hall closet and blasted Celine Dion's music all night. Again. Castiel's best friend, Balthazar, had been the unfortunate victim on that occasion. The poor british man still cringed at just the mention of 'Titanic'.

Castiel glanced again at Dean's broad back, hugged tightly by a band t-shirt. His faded blue jeans had worn holes in several places, teasing Castiel with flashes of skin. His mind wondered back to the incredible view of Dean climbing up the ladder.

He snapped his focus back to the mushrooms he was slicing. No. He told himself strictly. You are not going to fantasize about Dean anymore. He is a friend. A straight, uninterested friend…who was bending over to check the movie titles on the lowest shelf.

Damn it.

Just a friend. You can do this.

Suddenly, Dean let out a shout of joy and spun around to Castiel holding up a DVD victoriously, "Beetlejuice! Aw, man, we have got to watch this! Do you mind?"

Castiel smiled and nodded in amusement.

Fifteen minutes later, they were both sitting on the large sofa, eating their omelets and occasionally commenting on the movie.

"Who's your favorite character, Cas?" Dean asked toward the middle of the movie.

Castiel, who was sitting with his legs tucked beneath him on the other end of the couch, didn't even pause to think, "Road-Kill Man."

When he didn't hear anything else from Dean immediately, he turned to glance at him. Dean was shaking from silent laughter, head turned int his arm to muffle the sound.

"Why is that funny, Dean?" Castiel asked, with genuine confusion. "Road-Kill Man is the only cheerful person working in Bureaucratic Hell. I like his optimism."

Dean took one more look at Castiel's wide, serious eyes and burst out laughing even harder.

"Cas! You, haha, you are such a weird guy!" Castiel watched Dean laughing uncontrollably, before finally giving in himself. It started with the eruption of a few chuckles and cascaded into Castiel bent over on the couch trying to gasp in breaths.

It took several minutes for them both to calm down enough to continue watching the movie.

Somehow, the conversation shifted to Tim Burton, which meant that once Beetlejuice ended, Castiel moved forward and selected another movie by Burton. When that one ended, another movie was selected. And so on.

The two men happily chatted and argued about the story lines, Dean laughing merrily as Castiel admitted to not understanding many of the scenes.

"It doesn't make sense," he grumbled in confusion, "The Oompa Loompas cannot be paid in chocolate. They would still be required to receive at least minimum wage in the local currency of the country. And the factory would never pass code- the chocolate river alone would be a health risk. The heavy-set boy contaminated it!"

Dean was rolling with laughter, clutching his sides.

Sometime around the third movie, Castiel had caught Dean's eye, and gave a small nod to something just past Dean's shoulder. He turned and saw that the kitten, Lucifer, was crouched down low on the floor, clearly trying to sneak stealthily over to where Dean was seated on the couch.

Dean turned back to Cas with a smile and a wink, and pretended to turn his attention back to the TV.

They both feigned watching the movie as the kitten maneuvered slowly and carefully to the back of the couch, then a quick jump and pause on the arm rest, followed by a slow creep around the back headrest.

Finally, after waiting and watching Dean from just a few inches away for any signs of movement or recognition, the little creature dipped down and slid under Dean's arm. He waited, frozen, for Dean to make a movement so he could bolt. Dean didn't even flinch.

After a few more seconds, the kitten plopped down heavily onto his side and began rubbing his head against Dean's stomach.

Dean released a quiet chuckle and reached down carefully to stroke his furry head. The kitten gave a loud purr in response.

Dean looked back over at Cas, who gave him big smile and a thumbs up, before returning his attention to the movie.

…-^o^-...

At around the fourth movie, Dean felt his phone vibrate. Castiel was absorbed in the current scene, staring in confusion and skepticism as Edward Scissorhands expertly carved a bush into the shape of an animal. Dean chuckled quietly at the look of intense concentration Castiel was casting at the screen. He was waiting eagerly for Castiel's next comment, probably about the feasibility of cutting hedges so quickly. Geez, the guy was hilarious to watch movies with.

Dean was grinning widely as he pulled out his phone. Sammy had sent him a text. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't said good-bye earlier that morning.

S: I didn't see you leave this morning. What are you doing today? I thought you, me and Jess could hang out.

D: hey sry. At cas's place.

Sam took a while to respond.

S: Castiel's place?

D: yeah, sammy. How many other cas's do we know?

There was a longer pause.

S: Ok. That's cool.

S: I like Castiel.

S: So, what are you two doing?

D: trying to watch a movie. did you need something else?

S: It's nothing. You two have fun. I'll stop texting.

Dean put his phone back into his pocket. Sammy had been acting pretty weird lately. He kept staring at Dean when he thought he wasn't looking. And he had brought up Castiel a few times, usually at random, just to say things like, 'He seems like a nice guy' and 'You two get along well, huh?'

Dean had attributed it to Sam's guilt about having a girlfriend while Dean was still single. His brother was just making sure Dean wasn't going to lock himself up in the house again.

As if Dean would feel like his brother was abandoning him. If anything, Sammy was too clingy. And the others, Ash, Benny, Jo and all of them, they were just way too concerned about keeping Dean happy. It was like they treated him as if he were a delicate piece of china. The constant attention and forced conversations were frustrating.

That's the great thing about being with Cas, Dean thought. He just seemed easy to be around. No desperate attempts to cheer Dean up, or ask if he was ok. No need to fake a smile if he wasn't feeling it, or break the long silences with meaningless chatter.

Dean felt like he didn't need to wear his mask around Cas. It was a powerful sense of freedom.

At one point, Dean excused himself to run to the restroom. As he was exiting, he caught a glimpse into the room across the narrow hall. The room was done in tones of light blues and greens. There was a king-sized unmade bed, with rumpled dark blue sheets and at least eight fluffy pillows piled on everywhere on top of it. Dean's mind immediately pictured Castiel, shirtless and in his pajama pants as he was that morning. He imagined the man stretched out across the bed, pale skin casting a stark contrast to the sheets.

Before he realized it, he was standing in the bedroom's doorframe, eyes locked on the bed, searching for the imprint of the other man's body in the curves and folds of the sheets. He inhaled deeply, and the scent that Dean had picked up earlier on Castiel filled his nostrils. A shiver coursed through his body. His muscles clenched as arousal began to build back up.

What was Cas like in bed? Did he bring women here- let them share this bed with him? Did they get to slide their painted nails over his pale skin and trail kisses down his abs to his-

"Dean, did you get lost?" Castiel's voice called humorously from the couch in the living room just a couple dozen feet away from where he stood. Dean nearly jumped out of his skin with shock and guilt.

What the hell was he doing? He had to shake these crazy fantasies about Cas.

He quickly returned to the living room, making a joke about getting stuck in Narnia.

By late-afternoon, they agreed to keep the marathon going strong and order in for pizza. After a ten-minute discussion about the merits of Supreme versus Meat lovers, they compromised on a Supreme with extra pepperoni.

That sat comfortably on the opposite sides of the sofa, eating and laughing. Dean teased Castiel about his refusal to watch Nightmare Before Christmas. Castiel defended his stance, insisting that the movie belonged in the horror genre, and was absolutely terrifying. Dean's stomach was beginning to ache from the number of times he had laughed today. It felt like it had been years since he had enjoyed being around someone this much.

He even began keeping count of the number of times Castiel flashed him a smile. He was at a count of thirty-six by seven o'clock. Dean felt his heart flutter just as much on the thirty-sixth one as it had on the first.

They were all just for him, Dean prided himself silently.

…-^o^-…

Dean awoke slowly to the gentle tickle of warm breath on his neck.

An attempt to shift his body was met with resistance. As the numbness of sleep began to wear off, Dean became increasingly aware of his surroundings. The low sound of music was playing on repeat from the title page of the DVD menu. The room was cast in shadow, the only light coming from the TV screen. Outside the huge windows of the living room was darkness.

Oh, and Castiel was practically lying on top of him, wrapped tightly, like an octopus.

Dean was positive that the sudden fast pounding of his heart would wake the sleeping man.

Turning his head slowly, he tried to see Castiel's face. All he could see was the profile, bathed in the glow of the television.

But that, plus the warmth of the man's body heat, and-Dean swallowed hard and almost choked- the unmistakeable hardness of Cas's cock pressing closely into his hip, had Dean's entire body tensing up with arousal.

Shit. Shitshitshit-

He tried not to breath too deeply, afraid that even the smallest movement would wake the man. Dean was sure that Castiel waking up in the arms of another man, instead of whatever woman he was dreaming about, would be awkward enough, but that would be compounded by the fact that said man was awake and clearly getting turned on.

After several terrifying minutes of trying to decide what to do, Dean finally began to inch himself out of the death grip that Castiel had him in. As he slowly and carefully shifted and rocked to untangle himself, he felt Castiel begin to stir. The grip tightened as the the man let out a contented sigh. His hips rolled gently, pressing his erection even more into Dean's hip.

Unable to control his body's response, Dean's own hips gave an enthusiastic buck.

The sudden motion shook Castiel and Dean realized that the man was beginning to wake. Absolutely horrified at being discovered for the pervert that he clearly was, Dean forced his body to go slack and desperately feigned heavy sleep.

…-^o^-…

Castiel's body hummed with arousal as he began to slowly wake up. He was locked firmly against soft heat, and he breathed deeply and nuzzled closer to the warmth. The unmistakeable feeling of muscles under warm fabric was the first clue that he was not wrapped around one of his many pillows in his bed.

Forcing his tired eyes open, he almost jumped up in shock. It was a good thing his body was still half-asleep, or he would have almost certainly shoved himself away from Dean and off the narrow couch.

Oh, no. No-no-no-no-no. How did this happen?!

Carefully, fueled by pure terror, Castiel unwrapped himself from Dean and gently rolled off the couch and quietly onto the floor. He waited several seconds, listening for the sound of Dean's breathing to change. When he heard nothing, he slowly peeked up at the sleeping man.

Thank God-! Dean appeared to have slept through the entire thing. His face was turned away, almost buried in the back cushions of the couch. His chest was rising and falling slowly.

Castiel sent up a silent prayer to whatever heavenly forces had saved him from having to explain his embarrassing sleeping positions and even more embarrassing erection to Dean. There must have been several guardian angels working overtime to wake Castiel up before Dean could discover their situation.

Castiel rose quietly and headed straight down the hall to the bathroom, shutting the door gently before turning on the light.

After his burning eyes adjusted to the brightness, he caught his image in the large bathroom mirror. He looked scared, his eyes were wider than normal.

Taking a few deep breaths, he stared at his reflection in anger. What the hell am I doing? He thought to himself. How could I just fall asleep with Dean right there? And how did we end up together in the middle of the couch? Everything had been going so well-!

He let his head drop forward with a deep sigh. He sent up another thank you to the heavens. Dean was nice, but even he wouldn't appreciate Castiel taking liberties with his unconscious body while he was sleeping.

Castiel had to think. But, that was difficult with his cock pulsing hotly every second. The memory of his erection pressing through his own soft cotton pants against the course fabric of Dean's jeans made him twitch with excitement.

There really was no choice. He couldn't just leave it...

Castiel cast another guilty glance at the door, ashamed that he was having to do this. He had the sexiest man he had ever met asleep on his couch, and he was shut up in the bathroom at two o'clock in the morning, trying to convince himself that it was perfectly okay to masturbate to the memory of being in his arms.

How did life get this complicated?

Stealing one last embarrassed glance at the closed door, Castiel reached down and pulled his heavy erection out. It had been over a month now since the last time he had gotten off. Closing his eyes, he began to gently stroke himself. The familiar heat built up quickly- more so than normal. The proximity to Dean was wreaking havoc on his mind.

Guiltily, but unable to resist, Castiel began to picture Dean. His grinning face appeared, eyes focused on Castiel's. Except now they held a heat that Castiel had never seen in them. With a quick wink, Dean dipped low in front of Castiel, his head stopping in front of his cock.

Castiel released a moan, then bit his lip to silence himself. He couldn't risk waking the man sleeping outside on his couch.

But, in his mind, Dream-Dean was leaning forward and extending his wet, pink tongue out to take several small licks across the head of Castiel cock.

Castiel gasped, as he swiped his own thumb teasingly over the swollen head.

Dream-Dean gave Castiel a cheeky smile before abruptly taking all of him into his mouth.

Castiel groaned and panted as his hand stroked quickly as he stood over the toilet. His legs began to tremble, and his hips made thrusting movements into his moving hand, needing more friction. Castiel felt the tightening in his balls as his release began to build. He came with an half-choked moan that seemed to draw from deep inside him, catching on sucking breaths. He body shuddered hard, shooting streaks of cum into the bowl beneath him, before he sank shaking to the floor in a heap of boneless limbs.

I am going straight to Hell, Castiel thought to himself. There is probably a special section reserved for people who get off to thinking about their straight friends…

…-^o^-…

Dean had kept perfectly calm and still as he felt Castiel gasp loudly into his neck and pull off of him.

The sudden chill at losing the man's body heat had almost made Dean want to reach out and pull him back. Maybe pretend that he was still asleep.

He fought the urge.

He heard Cas move quickly to the restroom and shut the door. Dean waited a few moments, before slowly opening his eyes.

Shit, he thought. The poor guy was probably extremely embarrassed about his erection. Dean glanced down at his own, wondering if it had been noticeable in the dim light. God, he hoped not.

Turning his head, he stared down the hallway where the soft yellow glow of the bathroom light lit up the hardwood floor.

Cas is probably in there trying to get rid of his erection.

Dean's mind paused as he went over that one more time.

Cas is almost definitely in the bathroom getting off.

Dean rolled his body quietly off the couch, and slowly made his way across the living room, like a zombie unable to control his own movements. He came in view of the bathroom door, the thin light shining from underneath.

Cas is on the other side of that door, touching himself.

Dean felt his own erection harden painfully. A cold sweat broke out across his body. Suddenly, his clothes felt to constricting and coarse.

His ears picked up on the sound of a low groan.

Oh, shit, Dean thought as all the air in his lungs suddenly left at once. His body moved closer to the door, completely on its own.

Another low moan and the faint sound of panting.

Dean's tight pants were rubbing painfully against his erection, but he couldn't move. Couldn't tear his thoughts away from what was undoubtedly happening in the bathroom.

What kind of face was Castiel making? What was he thinking about? Was it some chick?

Shit. Dean didn't even know if Cas had a girlfriend. How the fuck had he forgotten to ask about that?

Was that who he was thinking about as he touched himself? Some pretty chick?

What kind of women did Cas go out with? Probably some nerdy librarian types.

Dean felt the sting of jealousy over whoever she was. Cas probably had dozens of hot women throwing themselves all over him, with his adorable wide blue eyes, and super-rare smiles.

The sound of panting increased.

Dean couldn't think clearly.

Maybe he could offer to... help? Just as a friend, helping out a friend? His mind was buzzing, eyes locked on the door knob, his treacherous body already leaning forward.

A loud groan and several labored gasps indicated that Castiel had come.

Dean suddenly snapped back to his senses, arm extended out, hand reaching for the doorknob.

Holy Shit-! Oh, shit- what am I thinking?! His body recoiled from the door.

Was I seriously about to go in there and offer to help?! He would've killed me. Fuck-!

Dean raced quietly back to the couch, quickly scooting the cat off from where it had laid itself in the warmth where Dean had been lying. He positioned himself quickly back into his previous sleeping position, praying that Castiel would never suspect what a huge pervert his new friend was.

After several minutes, Dean heard the sound of the bathroom door opening and the shuffling of Castiel moving in the hall way. A blanket was suddenly draped over him, and he heard the sound of the television being turned off.

Dean waited until he heard the bedroom door shut gently down the hall, before opening his eyes in the darkness. He shifted painfully, his erection still tightly crammed inside his jeans.

Dean let out a defeated sigh. Sleep was out of the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Sam hovers un-covertly.
> 
> Dean discovers a surprising fact about Cas (And it's not his sexual preferences).
> 
> Charlie gets nervous.
> 
> Anna makes her move.
> 
> Ash pays Gabriel a visit to conspire.


	12. The Same Blue Eyes

Castiel wasn't sure how it was possible, but he somehow managed to fall asleep with Dean just a room away on his sofa.

When he awoke at six a.m., he quietly opened his bedroom door, planning to sneak into the living room and catch a quick peek at Dean while he was sleeping soundly.

Instead, he found the couch empty, blanket folded neatly on one side. A note on the breakfast bar read:

Cas,

Ducked out early to shower and change for work. Had a great time. Don't forget about Tuesday evening.

-Dean

Castiel frowned as he read the note, before setting it back down, thinking.

It wasn't weird or anything, right? Dean just wanted to get a head-start on the day. Maybe he was one of those 'early-risers'.

Or, maybe he suspected something. He had been asleep last night, hadn't he? And Castiel had been quiet, so he couldn't possibly have woke up and overheard him in the bathroom.

A cold chill ran down Castiel's back at the thought that Dean might have somehow known what happened last night.

He re-read the note.

Nothing seemed off. Surely if he had woken up and discovered a man draped across him drooling, or worse, masturbating in the bathroom, he would have been upset and said something immediately, right?

The note seemed friendly. It even mentioned their meeting on Tuesday at the Road House. Castiel stared intensely at the note, trying to infer from even the handwriting itself, what Dean's feelings were as he wrote it this morning.

He finally gave up, deciding that he was reading too deeply into it. Dean just had to leave early. No big deal.

…-^o^-…

Dean drove the auto shop truck back to his and Sam's house just as the sun was coming up. It had been difficult to quietly exit Castiel's apartment while trying to wrestle the heavy ladder out by himself. He felt a sharp pang of guilt for sneaking out before Cas woke up. He would've loved to have had shirtless bed-head Cas make him another omelet.

Unfortunately, he had just spent the last several hours wide awake with a painful hard-on, which was only being amplified by Dean's traitorous imagination.

He made it home and went straight to his room for a change of clothes, then quickly into the restroom for a shower.

As soon as the first wave of warm water hit him, he felt his body finally relax. Reaching down without any preamble, he grabbed his rigid cock in his hand and began slow strokes. The excruciating wait to be able to touch himself had caused him to become oversensitive. It only took a couple minutes, the image of blue eyes smiling brightly, and the memory of tight arms and legs wrapped against him, for Dean to come all over the shower wall while biting back a heated moan.

He stood panting as the waves of water cleaned away his semen from the slick surface, carrying it down the drain.

That was definitely not a dream. Dean stated to himself as his breathing even out. That was me, wide awake, getting off to the thought of a guy. To Cas.

Dean stood in the shower, frowning deeply as he tried to think what this meant.

A guy getting off thinking about another guy means that they're… gay, right? Dean exhaled deeply, leaning forward to rest his head against the wall of the shower. Does this mean 'I' am gay?

His mind tried to rebel at the thought. He considered all the guys he knew. Even the one's that he knew most people labeled as attractive did nothing to spark his interest. His mind flashed back to Castiel's smiling face and his chest tightened, his heart giving and erratic thump-thump.

Was it just Cas, then? Was there something about only him that was different? Was he, like, more feminine than the average guy?

Dean pictured Castiel. Barely shorter than Dean, he had lean, sinewy muscles. His face was masculine with a strong jaw and sharp nose. Even his lips weren't unusually luscious or plump. There really was nothing about his appearance that could be described as 'delicate'.

His personality was quiet, but more like the strong, silent type. He didn't really come off so much 'shy' as he did 'contemplative'. As if he was paying close attention to everything around him, but only as an interested observer. When he was caught off guard, or did blush at something, he usually seemed to retreat into his thoughts with a smile. He definitely never simpered or preened like most women Dean had met.

No, there was no way Dean could blame his interest in Cas on any sort of woman-ish qualities.

Cas was very much a man. And Dean was very much attracted to that about him.

Fuck. Dean mumbled, curling his hands into tight fists and thumping them hard into the wall of the shower. Fucking. Fuckity. Fuck.

He was going to need help.

…-^o^-…

When Dean finally exited the bathroom, it was to find Sammy hovering right outside the door.

Sam attempted a mask of nonchalance, failing miserably, and asked, "So, how did everything go at Castiel's place yesterday. You, uh, decided to spend the night, huh?"

Dean frowned at his brother's odd behavior, and moved to walk past him. "Yeah, it was fun. We ended up watching a lot of movies, and I fell asleep on the couch."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, that sounds…nice. I mean, that's a long time to watch movies. You guys didn't, you know, do anything else while you were over there?"

Dean turned and gave his brother a confused glance, "Why are you acting so weird, Sammy? Did something happen while I was out yesterday? You didn't wreck your fucking truck again, did you?" He stared accusingly at his brother.

"What? Oh, no, dude. I just, was curious, you know." He grasped desperately for a valid excuse to be so interested in his brother's day, "Uh, Jess says that Castiel is like, an heir to the entire ADA company, so I just wondered what his place was like." Sam deflected, giving a nervous shrug.

Dean turned completely around, and stared in surprise at his brother. "What do you mean, an heir?"

"Oh... You guys never talked about that?" Dean frowned and waited. Sam continued on carefully, "Well, Jess says that Gabriel and Castiel's dad is the ADA founder. Their last name is Novak, you know? Like, the Novak Monarchy. They're supposed to be extremely rich."

Sam watched as Dean processed this information, his mouth slowly falling open, and his eyes widening.

Dean finally spoke, very slowly sounding out each word, "You're telling me that Castiel, and his super-weird brother, are freakin' heirs to a multi-billion dollar company?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably, beginning to regret mentioning the subject without thinking, "Um…yeah?"

"That-that can't be right, Sammy." Dean said with disbelief and rising panic, "Gabriel led me to Cas's place yesterday morning. The dude was driving a beat-up Ice Cream truck, for God's sake!" Sam's face was priceless. "Plus, Cas's place is, like, upper-middle class at best. It's just a regular condo. Nothing fancy inside, either. If he was rolling in cash, don't you think he could afford nice shit. You know, like-like a jumbotron TV, and... I don't know, a freakin' indoor hot tub?"

Dean was in full-on shock. Sam made an effort to calm him down. "I don't know Dean. Jess is positive that they are the heirs. It's apparently common knowledge in the offices. She did mention that people are always gossiping about them. Castiel especially, just because he refused an Executive position and chooses to work in one of the lower level jobs."

Dean just continued to stare blankly at Sam as he spoke. He gaped a few times, then finally wheezed, "W-well. I'll be damned."

"So, I'm guessing you guys literally only watched movies all day yesterday. Like, you didn't even talk about anything, at all?" Sam asked.

"What? No, we totally talked. Just…just not about ourselves, so much." Dean fumbled, "He did mention his mother passed away when he was young. Yeah- Cas had this Crazy-nice oil painting that she painted. He was moving it because his cat, Lucifer, climbed up it and got stuck up in high ledge. That's why I went over there in the first place- he needed a ladder to get the damn cat down."

Sam's mouth had dropped almost as soon as Dean had started speaking, and, if anything had just dropped open more as he relayed the story. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait." Sam stopped him, "I-I don't even know where to begin. You're telling me that Castiel has one of 'The' Jane Novak's paintings in his apartment? And a frickin' CAT was using it to CLIMB ON?" Dean began backing up slowly. Sam was getting that super-geek glow in his eyes that Dean always associated with a massive nerd meltdown. "Which one was it? What did the painting look like, Dean?" He reached out and grabbed Dean's shoulders, "Describe the painting!"

Dean looked nervously at his brother and tried to remember, "Um, okay... It was a picture of, like, a park. And there was, like, lots of bright colors. Um, I think there was a person flying a kite, or something."

Sam's eyes got a distant look in them, and he whispered reverently, "Eternal Tuesday Afternoon."

Dean nodded, moving slowly out of his brother's reach, and creeping backwards toward the safety of his bedroom. "Yep. That's the one. That's what Cas called it."

Sam seemed to come back to himself, turning excitedly, "I have to tell Jess. She'll freak! That piece should be in a museum. It's gotta be worth at least three million."

Dean froze and choked. "Three million? Three million 'dollars'!? Are you shitting me, Sammy!?" But Sam had already left, running into his room to call his girlfriend. Dean just stood there in their hall way, mind blown.

Holy shit, he thought to himself. Cas is crazy-fucking rich. How is that even possible?

…-^o^-…

Charlie was nervous.

Anna had been even more silent than usual this morning, and she was casting thoughtful stares at Castiel's office door. Charlie had asked several times if Anna was feeling alright, but the woman just nodded quietly, lost in thought. It was almost lunchtime, and Anna was still deep in thought, eyes trained on Castiel's door.

Charlie wanted to ask Jess what was up, but she was worried that Anna may be upset, and get more so if the others spoke about her. The best Charlie could manage was to catch Jess's attention, and make obvious gestures when Anna wasn't looking. Jess responded by raising her hands helplessly and shrugging her shoulders.

Not good, Charlie thought. Could Anna have finally got up the nerve to hit on Castiel? Geez, this day was bound to happen. What she needed to do was act fast and pull Anna into the privacy of the restroom for a heart-to-heart. It would be tough to hear, but the poor girl needed to be set straight before she embarrassed herself or had her feelings crushed. Damn. Love was a bitch.

Before Charlie could find the words to ask Anna to go talk, the woman stood abruptly and stated with unusual firmness, "Charlie, I need to speak to Mr. Novak immediately. Please make sure we aren't interrupted."

"What? Oh! Oh, no. Now really isn't a great time! He's, um, got some stuff to handle. Why don't you and I talk for a while instead? Anna? Anna!" It was too late. Anna was knocking on Castiel's door and entering.

It shut behind her with a loud click.

Charlie's head spun around to Jess, who was staring with surprise at the door. "Did something happen at that concert you guys went to Friday? Why is Anna acting weird?"

Jess blinked a few times and answered. "I…I don't think so. I mean, she seemed a little strange during the show. Quite a few guys were hitting on us and sending drinks over. And when it ended, I left our table to go meet my boyfriend, Sam, but she was gone before I came back. I just figured it wasn't her scene."

Charlie thought about Jess's words. It didn't seem to make sense. Why would Anna not enjoying a concert suddenly cause her to make her move on Castiel? She chose her words carefully, "Jess, I've been suspecting that Anna may have an…unrequited thing… for Castiel. Can you think of any reason that she would suddenly want to act on that?"

Jess's brow furrowed in thought, then her eyes widened, "Oh. Oh, no!" Her eyes locked on Charlie's. "Castiel was there."

"What? At THAT concert?" Jess nodded. "Oh, crap-fest! He wasn't… He wasn't, um, you know, there with someone, was he?" She stared pointedly at Jess, trying to gauge how much Jess knew about Castiel's preferences.

Jess's eyes narrowed, and she returned Charlie's look before cautiously stating, "He wasn't, at first. But, my boyfriend's brother, Dean, recognized him from his job and they ended up…talking." She said the last word slowly.

The two women held eye-contact, neither one blinking for several tense seconds.

"Would you say Castiel was… 'unusually absorbed'… in talking with this Dean guy?" Charlie suggested.

"…I would." Jess responded back. They stared intently a few more seconds.

Then Charlie cracked a smile, and Jess grinned back. Suddenly, both women were out of their seats and chatting giddily.

"Oh my God! How long did you know?" Jess asked, hopping up and down.

"Are you kidding- Day one! It is so obvious!" Charlie nearly shrieked.

"I was getting suspicious after the third time one of the bitches from downstairs tried to give him a confession letter and he asked you to shred it!"

They ran to each other, clasping hands in friendship, and laughing about Castiel's Woman Drama.

After a few moments, Charlie realized that they had gotten completely off topic. "Hold it! Wait a second! We need to focus." Jess stepped back and nodded, glancing at the still closed office door with a frown. "You said Castiel was there, right? So, is it possible that Anna saw Castiel and got the impression that he was maybe interested in someone? Do you think she suspects he is gay? Why would she suddenly make her move now?"

Jess frowned and shook her head. "I don't know. I don't think she ever saw Castiel. I didn't even know he was there until later. The place was packed. We were sitting towards the front, by the stage. Castiel was further back, in a booth. She left almost right after the show ended. I just came back to the table to introduce her my boyfriend, and she was gone."

"This doesn't make sense. What could she want from Castiel?" Charlie muttered as the both stared at the office door.

…-^o^-…

Castiel shifted nervously, waiting for Anna to speak.

It was unusual for her even want to talk to Castiel, but it was even more alarming that she wanted to do so in private.

And she wasn't smiling at him. Castiel had never seen her not smiling at him.

Finally, she lifted her head to look up at him, and he panicked. She had tears in her eyes.

Oh, no. This is not going to end well. Castiel thought to himself. Out loud he asked, "Anna, um, are you feeling alright?"

Wrong question, apparently. She began to choke on sobs.

"I'm, sniff, I'm fine. I-I just, I needed a favor and I don't, sniff, don't know how to ask." She made a valiant effort to stifle her cries and recover.

Castiel had no idea how to handle a crying woman. Usually, he was the source of their crying, after having turned down their advances or called security to remove them out from under his office desk. He made an attempt, "Okay. Well, how about you start by explaining the problem from the beginning, Anna?"

She sniffled once more and nodded, her face becoming red. "There's, um, a guy." She paused, glancing nervously at Castiel. "We met about five months ago at the coffee shop across town. I, um, I used to go almost every day for the office coffee run."

Castiel frowned as she fumbled with the bottom of her blouse, trying to find the words.

"He was, you know, a really smooth talker. And, um, really good-looking. He asked me to take a break and join him for coffee one day. So, I did. Then, we kind of started to talk everyday. It was really nice." She smiled faintly for the first time since entering the office, but it faded quickly as she continued. "He…he asked me out after a while. I said yes."

Castiel was waiting patiently. So far, it seemed like a pretty straight-forward romance. Girl meets boy. Girl agrees to go out with boy. What went wrong? he wondered.

Anna took a particularly long time before continuing. "He had mentioned that he worked at a local auto shop." Castiel froze. "So, I thought it would be nice to pay him a visit…"

Anna was clearly about to dissolve back into tears, but Castiel was too worried about what her next words were going to be to deal with calming her down.

It couldn't be. Castiel told himself. It couldn't be Dean. This mystery man who Anna was completely infatuated with could not be HIS Dean. Castiel couldn't figure out what emotions he was feeling, whether it was jealousy, terror, or sadness. He just needed Anna to say it. To say the man's name and get it over with.

She manage to force the words out, "He was, he was there, and…and some, some blond hussy was all over him! And he was just laughing while she was trying to kiss him!" She was on a roll, unable to stop as the words just started tumbling out, "And I swore to myself I would never see him again. And I stopped drinking coffee. And I stopped doing coffee runs! But then, then I went with Jess to a stupid concert on Friday, and, sniff, and he was there! He was in the band! And he tried to say 'hi' and talk to me!" Anna's lips quivered as she suddenly snapped her eyes up to Castiel's, staring deeply into his-

-and finally lost it completely, bursting into tears. Through the sobs and choking breaths, she managed to cry, "You-have-the-same-blue-eyes!" She threw her head onto the desk, shoulders shaking as her body was wracked with tears.

Castiel sat in shock, repeating the her words in his head. The same BLUE eyes. BLUE. Dean's eyes were absolutely green. Castiel's shoulders sagged and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Thank GOD, Dean's eyes were green.

"Anna," Castiel said gently as her sobs grew quieter. She slowly raised her head, wiping her tear-stained eyes on the back of her hand. "What is this man's name?"

She sniffled. "Benny."

…-^o^-...

"What the Hell is your problem? Do you get your rocks off to making me look like an idiot?! Why can't you just keep your mouth shut for one fucking meeting? Just one! That's all I ask! For you to sit quietly through one meeting, like you are a REAL Executive. For you to refrain, for once in your life, from insulting the damn President of our entire damn office!" A clipboard landed hard on Gabriel's desk, scattering the neglected piles of paperwork.

Gabriel smiled happily, enjoying the view as Ruby paced back and forth in front of the large desk, face red with anger, and occasionally stopping to furiously jab her finger in his direction.

It really was her own fault that he worked so hard to get her riled up. She was like a Righteous Goddess when she was angry. Her voice carried, shaking the foundations of the office, and echoing throughout the entire floor.

Frankly, it was a huge turn-on.

Unfortunately, Ruby was one of the extremely rare women that Gabriel's excessive charm did NOT work on. The few times that he had made a sexual proposal to her, he had found himself being lifted, dazed, off the office floor a short time later by worried co-workers. That girl had a mean right-hook. Also a huge turn-on.

Gabriel basked in the glory of his secretary's ferocity, gearing up to dodge any incoming objects, as she grew more flustered by his lack of contrition.

A knock at the office door threw them both off.

They stared as the door opened and a small, skinny man in sleeveless coveralls walked in smiling like he belonged there. Behind him several very alarmed looking security personnel and office workers were standing guiltily.

"Hey there! And how are you all doing this fine Monday morning?" he asked, plopping down in one of the cushioned chairs and kicking his feet up on the edge of the desk.

Gabriel watched as Ruby's eyes narrowed to small slits. He decided top cut her off early and spare the stranger's life.

"Rube, babe. I'll take it from here. Why don't run damage control for that last meeting. Maybe send Crowley some red roses from me with a note saying With Love We Can Overcome Our Differences. Thanks!" He smiled cheekily at her.

She glanced angrily from him, to the stranger, than back. Then, she turned and left slowly, a low and primal growl coming from deep in her throat as she crossed the room and slammed the door.

The man stared at the door, then turned to Gabriel with a lopsided grin, "Dude. That was hot."

Gabriel nodded matter-of-factly, as if they were discussing the usefulness of loofas over wash clothes.

Finally, he gave the man his full attention and stated, "I like your style, my friend. But, who in the hell are you?"

"Name's Ash. And I happen to be a close friend and co-worker to a certain Dean Winchester." Gabriel eyes lit up with interest.

"I see. And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Ash smiled at him and leaned forward, conspiratorially. "I thought you might like to join me, Garth, and a few other friends at a super-secret meeting at the Road House this evening. I believe you will find the topic of discussion…relevant… to your brother, Castiel." He wiggled his eye-brows suggestively.

Gabriel smiled back, a dangerous gleam in his eye. "I think I would like that very much." He nodded slowly at Ash. "Oh! Should I bring a casserole?"

...-^o^-...

Ellen: So... Sam says Dean had a little slumber party at his man-crush's house yesterday...

Mary: Was he drunk?

Ellen: Nope... Word is he hung out there all day and then spent the night...

Mary: OMG stop with the ellipses! ROFLMAO! I'm sure it's nothing. John says your reading too much into it. : )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to tell me what you think! I hope you guys are having as much fun as I am. Anna was a fun twist to write. And Sam's not so subtle questions after Dean didn't come home. Can't you just picture him, sitting up late, watching the clock! A public service announcement comes up on the TV, 'It's ten o'clock. Do you know where your possibly-gay brother is?'
> 
> Next up: What did Anna want?
> 
> Castiel gets revenge on Gabriel.
> 
> Team Destiel meets at the Road House.


	13. Pineapple Tarts and Plots

When Anna finally emerged from Castiel's office, her face was flushed, but she wore a smile. She shut Castiel's door behind her, and returned to her desk, pulling a small pack of tissues from the drawer, to dab at her eyes.

Charlie and Jess were sitting with their best impressions of disinterest at their own desks. After a few moments, Charlie spoke up, "Um, Anna, hon. Are you…doing okay?"

Anna turned to look at her, big eyes wide and red-rimmed. She smiled apologetically and replied, "Oh, yes. Thank you for asking, Charlie." Then turned back, and began working on her computer.

Charlie stared nervously at her turned head for a few moments, then looked wide-eyed over to Jess, signaling for her to say something. Jess looked panic and mouthed back 'What do I ask?'.

Charlie shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes before mouthing, 'How should I know?'.

Finally, Jess spoke. "So, Anna. What was it you wanted to talk with Castiel about?" Charlie cringed.

Jesus, Jess. Use some tact, girl.

Anna's eyes darted from Jess to her computer, to Castiel's office door, then back. "Oh. Well, um, it's kind of a…personal matter. Mr. Novak agreed to do a favor, that's all. I- I'm not really comfortable talking about it…."

"Oh. A favor. That's…that's nice of him." Jess mumbled. Her wide eyes darted to Charlie's, and she shrugged helplessly.

Charlie frowned back. What kind of favor could Anna need from Castiel? Money? That would explain the tears. Could she be in debt? Or was it something more…romantic in nature.

Charlie frowned deepened. If Anna had cried to get Castiel to go on a pity date with her, there was going to be blood spilled. But, then, Charlie considered, Anna wasn't really the desperate and manipulative type. Hell, the girl couldn't make a run to copy machine without apologizing at least four times and insisting everyone else go in front of her. She was sickeningly sweet.

No, Charlie decided. Anna wouldn't be able to pull-off forcing Castiel into a relationship.

So, what did she want from him. And, if it wasn't something romantic, why was she always staring at him like she was love-struck?

…-^o^-…

Early that afternoon, the elevator door dinged an arrival. Charlie looked up to see Gabriel sauntering out, grinning as he popped jelly beans from a large bag into his mouth.

"What is up, Lovely Ladies?" He asked, hopping up to sit on the edge of Charlie's desk. The women smiled at Gabriel. His flirting was infamous and they had long since grown used to it. He smiled over at Jess and stated coyly, "So, I hear you and I will be attending the same…ahem, get-together tonight."

Jess stared blankly at him for a moment before realization dawned. "Oh! Your coming, too? That's perfect!" She lowered her voice suddenly, casting a careful glance at Castiel's office door. "We could definitely use your help."

"Is it a raid?" Charlie piped in, causing both of them to realize that their were two other witnesses to their conversation. "Because let me tell you, I am always down for some WoW!"

"Actually, Red, that's one of the reasons I came down here." He grinned and continued, "I was thinking you could help us out in our little 'endeavor'. You're also invited, Red Number Two." He directed the last part at Anna with a saucy wink. He caught Jess's flailing arms and shaking head too late, but luckily Anna spoke up.

"I'm sorry Mr. Novak. I'm having some, um, family difficulties. My mother hasn't been doing very well and I already made plans to spend the evening with her." She smiled apologetically at him.

Gabriel face flashed through several painful looking expressions, before settling on genuine concern. "No. You should spend time with her. Mothers are…important. I hope she feels better real soon."

"Thank you, sir. She's actually doing much better than she was a few months ago, so I think we'll be okay." She gave a small hopeful smile.

"Anna, if you need anything, you know you can count on us, right?" Charlie said quietly from her desk. Anna looked up at her, than over to Jess with embarrassment.

"Oh, thank you. But, really, we're doing just fine. I-I didn't mean to air my dirty laundry at work."

Gabriel nodded slowly, then turned to Charlie, seeming to pull himself from his unusually somber mood. "Cassie's in, right Red?" Charlie nodded. "Alright. Get with Jess for the details about tonight." He waved cheerfully as he hopped off her desk and skipped over to Castiel's door, bursting in without bothering to knock.

…-^o^-…

Today was another complete loss.

Castiel had spent almost all day lost in remembering his wonderful Sunday with Dean.

Try as he might, his mind relentlessly threw memories at him without warning while he tried to focus on his work.

Like the time Dean climbed the ladder and Castiel had been so captivated by his perfect, swaying ass up close that he almost didn't hear the man ask what the kitten's name was. Thank God his practice at zoning out during meetings had forced him to develop the ability to recall the last words somebody said quickly enough to spew out an answer.

Or the time Lucifer had tried to stealthily steal one of Dean's slices of pizza and the man had hopped up and made a dive as the kitten unsuccessfully tried to drag the large slice with it under the entertainment system.

Or the time Dean had been laughing so hard at one of Castiel's comments that he had physically fallen off the side of the couch, rattling the coffee table and scaring the kitten from it's nap on the couch between them. The poor creature had fluffed up to almost three times its regular size.

Every memory of the time spent with Dean seemed to glow with pure joy and comfort. It had been wonderful. Dean was just as perfect as he had seemed at first.

And even more incredible- he seemed to find Castiel just as fun to be around, if his constant laughter and their seemingly endless stream of relaxed conversation was any indication. It was almost surreal. How could a blindingly handsome, popular man like Dean be bothered with someone as aloof and socially awkward as Castiel. He didn't like to put himself down, but even Castiel had to admit that his social skills were more than a little rusty. If he were being honest, he wasn't sure he ever even had any to begin with. The result being that most people were polite and friendly to him, but few had ever willingly spent time with him if they had any other choices.

Even Castiel's boyfriends had complained constantly about his 'uptight attitude' and 'stony silences'. They always tried to urge him to be as uninhibited in public as he was in the bedroom. But Castiel could never muster the same courage he drew on during sex to use in social situations. It was a frustrating personality flaw that irked his past partners.

Dean didn't seem to find Castiel's behavior lacking, however. The man had never seemed to run out of questions for Castiel or been put off by his often brief and concise single statement answers. In fact, they seemed to spur him on.

It was perplexing... and nice.

Castiel had never felt so comfortable and accepted before. If being Dean's friend meant that he could have this same feeling all the time, then he was going to hold on to their friendship greedily and never let go.

That same sense of peace also came with the ever-present cold sense of fear. Getting too attached to Dean was dangerous. He couldn't keep him.

Some day, probably very soon, Dean was going to meet a beautiful, kind, perfect woman who would steal him away to be a boyfriend. A husband. A father.

And Castiel would be all alone. As if watching the bright warmth of their smiling faces from outside a window where he stood in the dark cold of night.

Would he be strong enough to try to hold on to their friendship, even then?

He was trapped on an emotional roller-coaster, one second almost giddy remembering his day with Dean, the next moment almost trembling with the urge to run away before he was inevitably hurt.

That's when his door flew open to reveal the short, beaming figure of his brother.

"Cassie! I've been stuck in meetings all morning, but don't you worry! I am here now." He shut the door behind him and bounced forward, throwing himself sideways into one of the cushioned chairs in front of Castiel's desk. He balanced an enormous bag of jelly beans on his stomach and said merrily, "So, tell me ALL the obscene details." He wiggled his eyebrows, grinning eagerly.

Castiel frowned at his brother. "Thank you, Gabriel. You just reminded me of an important email I needed to send." He typed quickly and hit send, while his brother responded.

"Oooohhh! Is it to Dean? Did you need to thank him for the wild day of sex and cuddling? Be careful, baby brother. The computer geeks monitor those emails. Your gonna make the ears of some poor IT guy down in the basement burn. Or you may become a celebrity amongst them. Hmm. I wonder if they ever read any of my risqué emails?" His voice trailed off as he began to wonder to himself, "Well, probably not. I'd be arrested by now if anyone was reading them…."

Castiel sighed, "Gabriel, if you don't need anything, then please leave. I have a lot of work to do."

"Aww, don't be like that, Cassie! I just want to know if my little 'nudge' worked out. Did he at least stay for the omelets?" He popped a handful of the jelly beans into his mouth, chewing happily.

Castiel reigned his irritation in before choosing his words carefully, "Gabriel. Dean is only a friend. We watched a few movies. That is ALL that happened. I've already asked you to respect my wishes and not get involved in this. You chose to ignore my requests." There was a ding on his computer signaling that he had received a message. He glanced at the message, then smirked at his brother with eyes of cold steel. His low voice rumbled dangerously, "Did you think that there would be no consequences for your actions? That I would allow you to get away with it?"

Gabriel stared at his little brother, recognizing his tone. Cassie was up to something. He was using his Think Tank voice, the one that meant somebody was going to get a nasty surprise. In this case, it could only be Gabriel, himself.

"Cassie... what have you done?" He stood up swiftly, bag of jelly beans gripped tightly in his clenched hand, eyes wide on his brother's. "Come on, bro. It was just a little call to a friend for a ladder. That's the good thing about having macho-mechanics for friends, right? Of course he would be the first person I think to ask. It wasn't like I orchestrated your damn cat getting stuck up there in the first place! " He tried for a chuckle, but it rolled out more like a whimper. Castiel didn't respond.

"What did you do, Cassie? Please tell me you didn't call the health inspector to shut down Tanya's Titty Parlor again?" He leaned forward, trying to read Castiel's face. "Did you post my pimply teenage pictures on Facebook?" Castiel remained absolutely calm, face not giving away anything.

"Damn it, Cassie. I am just trying to help you out. All I want is for my baby brother to be happy! I am not the bad guy here!"

Finally, Castiel met his panicked brother's eye and said, "I know, Gabe. And I understand you want me to find someone to be happy with. But, I told you not to get involved with me and Dean. I won't ask again." Castiel turned back to his computer as it dinged again. His smile made Gabriel's heart thump with dread. His mind raced through every possible way that Castiel could get back at him for his stunt. It was a long list.

"In case you are wondering," Castiel stated off-hand as he typed on his computer, "The email I needed to send out was to Ruby." The sound of Gabriel's sharp inhale filled the otherwise silent office. Castiel continued, feeling a small pang of sympathy for his brother, but forcing himself to ignore the feeling, "It was directions, telling her where your stash your Bengawan Solo Pineapple Tarts."

The sound that came from Gabriel wasn't human. It was a pathetic moan of pure terror. His face dropped into a mask of unearthly horror. "No- Cassie, God, no!" he half-choked, half-sobbed.

He turned too fast for the door, tripping clumsily over his own feet as the bag of jelly beans dropped from his hand and spilled across the floor. He landed hard. Unfazed, he scrambled up and bolted, fumbling with door handle before darting through.

Castiel sat at his desk, eyes staring sadly in the direction his brother had fled.

It hurt to do this to his brother. As much of a pain that Gabriel was, he really did try hard to make Castiel happy.

But, he was putting Castiel's friendship with Dean at risk with his meddling.

And Castiel couldn't allow that.

…-^o^-…

A woman sat with her son in a booth at an almost empty Big Gerson's in a small Nevada town.

She was there to celebrate his birthday. Tyler was thirteen today, but his severe autism meant that he was behaving like an unruly four year old. He had just slammed his elbow into his drink, causing it to slosh across the tiled floor. With it on the floor were several other items that Tyler had bumped or hit in his excitement throughout the meal.

The woman usually avoided public as Tyler grew up. Many bad experiences with upset patrons and the restaurant managements had led to her spending as much time as possible locked in the security of their small home, where mean words and stares couldn't hurt them.

But Tyler had been wanting to go to the restaurant for so long, the constant stream of happy faces in the commercial ads giving the chain the same manic appeal as a disney land.

And Tyler had seemed so genuinely thrilled when she finally caved against her better judgement and decided to risk taking him.

Now, with her face red, she proudly and defiantly used a wad of napkins to soak up the mess on the floor. The thin waitress had run over with a mop, kindly insisting that she could clean it, and that it was no problem. Accidents happened.

The woman allowed herself just one shamed glance around the small eatery. There were four other groups of people seated around. One was an elderly couple who were casting pitying glances at her. Another was a small family, the two children staring obviously at Tyler, as the parents tried to keep them from pointing and asking loud questions. The other two groups were younger looking couples, pointedly not noticing the drama a few table over.

A small movement of color caught her attention. There was a final man seated in the very far corner. He looked old, his clothing clean but used. His face was plain, mostly covered by a thick dark brown and gray beard. His blue eyes were staring at her with an indescribable look. She couldn't tell if he was angry, or sad, or just strung out on drugs.

She turned quickly back to Tyler, who was fussing noisily, upset at being ignored by his mother. She put on her brightest smile and gave her attention back to the only thing that really mattered-her perfect son.

Several minutes, and many more accidents later, the woman asked for her bill, exhaustion wearing on her.

The manager himself came over. The woman watched as the waitress, cashier, and several cooks stared from kitchens.

Oh, no, she thought, preparing herself for the familiar shame of being asked not to return with her son.

Instead, the manager smiled at her warmly and said, "Ma'am, another patron has already paid your bill for you. He asked us to pass you this note." He handed the note to her, scribbled on the back of an old receipt.

It read: 'God only gives special children to special people. Keep your head up.'

She immediately turned to look over to where the old man had been sitting earlier. The seat was empty.

…-^o^-…

"Alright. Everybody settle down." Sam called out to the group seated around the corner of the Road House. When the chatter of conversation died down, he continued. "We all know why we are here today, right?" There was a murmur of assent, and a loud 'Whoot!' from Gabriel. Sam glanced around the crowd. Everyone was here, it looked like. All of their friends, plus a few from Castiel's camp. The auto shop team was present, minus Dean, of course. A few of the police officers. Even Rufus, though he seemed more comfortable sitting with Bobby and Ellen in the back and emptying his mug of beer.

Gabriel had shown up, bringing Charlie, who was seated excitedly beside Jess.

Altogether, it's a nice turnout. We should be able to pull this off if we all work together, Sam thought. He cleared his throat and began. "Ash, you took care of Dean, right? No chance he'll find his way here and wander in?"

"Im-pos-si-ble." Ash called out, grinning. "I did a little subtle fiddling with his car, so he won't be leaving the shop any time soon." There were several head nods in the crowd. Dean loved his 'Baby', an older model black Impala. The slightest hiccup had him in a panic, trying to trace the cause, while murmuring sweet, loving words to the lifeless metal.

Sam continued, "And, we all have had a chance to meet Gabriel, Castiel's older brother, right? Hey, Gabe, could you stand up for us so everyone can see you?"

"I am standing!" Gabriel shouted with a huff from somewhere behind where Garth and Jo were sitting.

Sam floundered, forgetting what he had been about to say, "Oh. My bad. Um, yeah. So, Ash was able to get into the ADA building and ask Gabe to join us today, so, that's great." He ended weakly.

"Oh, yeah! I wanted to ask how you managed that?" Gabriel's disembodied voice floated from behind the crowd.

Ash, turned in his direction, grinning. "Well, at first, I tried strolling in and politely asking the ladies at the front desk if I could see you. But, when security turned me away, I had to go Mission Impossible on them, crawling through the ventilation ducts, breaking into the security room, and hacking into the system. You know, plan B. I planted a nasty little virus, then visited the main security dude's office. They were a lot nicer the second time I asked."

There was an alarmed silence, and several of the officers were looking around as if desperately trying to pretend like they hadn't just heard that. Rufus just took a somber swig from his beer, bringing his hand up to his forehead to massage his growing head ache.

Sam scrambled desperately to fill the nervous silence and get back on track.

"So, um, Dean has been having a pretty rough time these last few months. I know most of us remember the, uh, proposal." The sound of feet shifting and even a few grunts and hisses could be heard. "And, most of us have also heard about Lisa's recent engagement." The angry noises were a bit louder this time. "I know we all have pretty strong feelings about that, but, uh, we need to stay focused on what's really important here. And that's Dean." Several assents were heard. "So, I think most of us have noticed Dean's, er…"

He knew this part was going to be tough. How do you describe that someone, who is by all accounts straight, appears to suddenly have an interest in a guy. There really hadn't been anything witnessed aside from a few shy looks and nervous smiles. They really didn't have much to go off of here.

"...well, let's just all agree that Dean and his new friend, Castiel are…um, showing signs of 'interest' in each other." It sounded stupid, even to him.

Fortunately, Gabriel chose this time to contribute his opinions. The short man had darted forward, and stood beside Sam now. He smiled at the crowd, clearly comfortable with talking in front of large groups. "So, I understand this is Dean's first man-crush. Smart guy chose well- my baby brother is quite the catch. Now, many of you are probably worried that the feelings may not be mutual. Rest assured, Cassie's not the most obvious romantic on the planet, but he has definitely got it bad for ole' Dean. And, I don't really know Dean, but I'm guessing the stuttering and bedroom eyes are usually a sign that he's into somebody?" A quick glance around the group showed many heads nodding and a few mouths covered to hide chuckles. "Well, then. Safe to say the two are off to a solid start. Now, I have been briefed about Deano's recent proposal mishap. Castiel is also recently single, due to a shit-bag, ass-kissing, lying piece of worthless-"

"Okay-!" Sam interrupted what was going to be the second verbal assassination of Castiel's ex-boyfriend that night. Sam, Gabe, and Ash had already had a quick discussion before everyone else arrived, to get their details together. "So, the reason that we asked all of you here today, is to go over exactly how to approach this. Obviously, we don't want to force Dean and Castiel into uncomfortable situations that might scare them off." Sam cast a quick glare at the pouting Gabriel, who had brought in a binder filled with plans for how to arrange forced meetings and romantic set-ups. "We need to make sure that the two of them don't feel pressured, but still manage to have every opportunity possible to encourage their feelings. What we are asking is that all of you work to 'subtly arrange' for them to be around each other as much as possible. If it works, and they end up deciding that they like each other and want to proceed with a relationship- great. If they end up deciding that they aren't actually interested, than we all just take a step back, and let it go. Does everyone understand their roles?"

There was a chorus of 'Yes's' and a few 'Hell Yeah's'.

"Alright people," Gabriel shouted clapping his hands together. "Tomorrow evening Castiel is going to be coming here to meet everyone. Put on your game faces and remember: Both of these guys are a bit slow in the romance department, so you may need to get creative."

...-^o^-...

Ellen: So, totally not my idea, but some of the gang is planning on kind of 'setting up' Dean and his crush...

Mary: ?

Ellen: As in trying to get them to interact more together, you know? To see how they act...

Mary: ?

Ellen: They're gonna force them together to see if they'll crack, Mary. Geez, I really gotta spell it out for you?

Mary: LOL Be sure to tell me if I should plan for a son-in-law! LOLOLOLOLOLOL!

Ellen: You laugh...

Mary: John says don't scar his son for life! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bengawan Solo Pineapple Tarts are my unicorn. Anyway, for the story: super-delicious, practically impossible to get in the U.S.
> 
> Some of you are probably like, 'Hey, did anyone else notice that extremely sweet and uplifting story that was kind of randomly stuck in the middle there? Anyone? Am I losing my shit?" No, you aren't going crazy- it's part of the story. Can you guess what's up? : D
> 
> (BTW: That note was actually left under real and similar circumstances at a diner in the U.S., so no credit to me for borrowing it.)
> 
> Next up: Castiel freaks out.
> 
> Castiel fulfills Anna's request.
> 
> Dean jumps to conclusions.
> 
> And Benny...well, Benny makes a poor decision.


	14. Desperate Dive Drama

Castiel was quickly becoming a nervous wreck as the Tuesday progressed.

He had panicked the night before, realizing that he wasn't sure what to wear to the Road House. His usual business attire seemed too stuffy to be hanging out in a bar with Dean and his friends.

After nearly three hours of searching through his closet and drawers, throwing the contents across the floor, he had finally tried on what he felt was a suitable outfit. After spending another twenty minutes sitting uncomfortably on the edge of his bed in the outfit and nervously clenching his phone, he finally sent a short text out to Charlie.

CAS: Quick favor?

CHARLIE: What's up, boss? : )

CAS: Can I send a picture of an outfit? I need an opinion.

CHARLIE: Go for it!

Castiel rose and stood awkwardly in front of his standing mirror. After several failed tries of odd angles and cut-off limbs, he managed to snap a relatively nice photo. He sent it.

CHARLIE: I called the fire department…

CHARLIE: …cuz your so freakin' hot!

CHARLIE: So, what's the big occasion?

Castiel blushed, regretting having to ask for someone's opinion.

CAS: Just hanging out with some new friends tomorrow. I want to make a good impression.

CHARLIE: You'll do great! They'd have to be crazy not to like you! ; D

Castiel blushed even harder, hoping Charlie was right.

CAS: Thank you, Charlie. See you tomorrow.

Castiel had tried to sleep after the text conversation, but his mind was going full speed.

What if he was overdressed? Or underdressed? What if he said something wrong? What if they didn't like him? If they didn't like him, would Dean decide he didn't like him anymore either?

Castiel had finally fallen into a fitful sleep.

Now, it was late afternoon, almost time to meet Anna to take care of the favor she had asked him for.

That was another nerve-wracking event he had to deal with today. He had almost declined to help her. He kept trying to explain that deception was almost impossible for him. But, she had been so upset and sure that they could pull it off successfully that he had eventually caved. It wouldn't take too long, he figured. And he should be able to make it to the Road House on time.

They had already agreed to go in Castiel's vehicle, so he suggested Anna just park at the Road House, so he could drop her off afterwards and head straight inside.

Everything would go smoothly, and in just a short while he would be with Dean again.

He picked Anna up from the Road House parking lot at four-thirty. She climbed into his car nervously, and repeatedly shifted in her seat as he drove. Castiel felt the need to put her mind at ease, despite the fact that he should be the one who was nervous about what they were about to do...

"It will be fine, Anna. I'm sure she won't suspect anything. We can just do exactly as we planned."

Anna turned her wide eyes on him and gave him a small, grateful smile. "I'm sure your right. I just…I'm not sure exactly what she remembers or how much of it she heard. Plus, she's got a real knack for seeing right through people. I'm just afraid she is going to realize you're not him and be upset with me."

Castiel frowned, but offered, "I doubt she would be upset with you if she finds out. She's your mother. If anything, she'll probably accuse me of manipulating you into lying and order me to stay away from you." Anna's smile brightened just a little bit.

They arrived at the hospital and made their way through the somber hall ways.

Castiel cringed inwardly, trying not to show it. Some of his earliest memories had been of being in hospitals. He could vaguely recall the beep of the machines, and the sickening smell of medicines. His mother's frail frame, lying with tubes and needles stuck in her pale, bruised arms. And, Gabriel, sitting like a statue, eyes locked onto her worn face as his small hand gently rubbed hers. Gabriel had only been ten years old at the time, Castiel barely four. But, they had both sat quietly in the expensive room, neither wanting to be away from their mother. In case she finally woke up and they weren't there. But, she had never woken back up.

Castiel felt the familiar sick weight in his stomach. He had barely had a chance to meet his mother. He couldn't even remember her face anymore without pictures. Gabriel had dealt with it the worst. He had been very attached to their mother.

It had to be much worse, knowing your parent, and loving them for so many years, then having to watch them die slowly in a hospital room. That was the real reason Castiel hadn't been able to turn Anna's request down. What would he have done to put his mother's mind at rest when she was so ill?

Anything. He would have done absolutely anything.

They finally arrived outside the room. Anna cast Castiel a quick glance, forcing a nervous smile that she had probably meant to be encouraging. Then, with a small knock, she entered, Castiel following closely.

…-^o^-…

Dean knew that he was acting strange.

Benny, Ash, and even Bobby were sending him worried looks, before quickly snapping their eyes away as if they hadn't been looking. It had been going on all day. It was obvious that Dean was freaking the fuck out.

He was excited about tonight. Monday had seemed to drag on forever, and he barely managed to get through his work. All he could think about these last two days was Castiel.

The way Castiel stared as Dean spoke, as if wanting to hear and understand every syllable.

The way Castiel's blue eyes lit up with warmth and humor whenever Dean made a joke.

The way Castiel's deep voice rumbled gently from those soft-looking lips, filling the air with a gentle thunder that sent shivers through Dean body.

The ease and fluid grace with which Castiel moved, sat, ate and -yeah- even slept.

Yes, Dean remembered exactly how relaxed and warm Castiel had felt, pressed tightly against him. The soft heat of his breath as those lips rested only centimeters from Dean's neck. The thick fluff of his crazy mess of hair tickling Dean's cheek.

It was no surprise Dean was hop-scotching through dozens of different feelings.

Castiel was extremely attractive.

Castiel was also apparently wealthier than many small countries, which Dean was unsure how to handle. Cas didn't act like he was rich. If anything, Dean would have pegged him for a penny-pincher.

The guy was nothing like Dean expected. And now the seductive image of the blue-eyed man was showing up way too often to be considered normal- visiting Dean nightly. And daily. So, pretty much constantly.

Which was why Dean was practically stalking Ash, but panicking and ditching the man every time he asked Dean if he needed something.

His odd behavior was being met with a surprising amount of patience from the other men at the shop. Instead of approaching Dean or demanding he knock that shit off, they kept a respectful distance and pretended that there was nothing weird going on.

Dean was too grateful to be suspicious.

He really wanted to talk to Ash. Since Ash was openly bi-sexual, Dean figured that he would be able to explain what these feelings for Cas were. Maybe it wasn't actually attraction. Maybe Ash would hear what Dean described and immediately point to some obvious alternative, like lack of sex or a thing for blue eyes.

Dean couldn't tell for sure what the hell he was feeling, but it wasn't normal. His pulse began racing at just the thought of Cas. His brain seemed to slow down exponentially whenever they were together. Every move the man made mesmerized him. When Cas spoke to him, Dean was almost too lost in his happiness of being noticed to even hear what Cas was saying.

It was like all of the sudden he just turned... stupid.

Dean didn't know what that meant, but it was terrifying. Dean prided himself on his smooth social skills and ability to think fast. Cas took all of that away with just one of his small smiles.

If Ash couldn't figure out what was wrong with Dean, than who could?

But, so far Dean couldn't even figure out what he was going to ask Ash. He didn't want to just throw out the word 'gay'. Because, maybe that wasn't what this was. Maybe he was just over-reacting, and he would look dumb if he jumped immediately to thinking he was gay. That would be embarrassing. No, he needed to approach this cautiously. No reason to alarm everyone with random guesses or weird declarations about liking another guy.

As the end of the workday rolled around, Dean had still not been able to figure out how to ask Ash his questions. All he had managed was to make a spectacle of himself in front of his friends and the customers.

Dean felt defeated, but at least he would be able to see Cas again in just a few short hours. He perked up, grateful that his nervous thoughts had managed to keep his attention away from watching the clock. Time had flown by quickly.

Dean waved a cheery good-bye to Benny and Ash as he hopped over to his 'baby' and started her up. He released a grateful sigh as she kicked on without incident. Yesterday, she had refused to start up, leading Dean to spend a frantic four hours troubleshooting the source of the failure. Fortunately, Ash had dropped by late in the evening to pick something up. He offered to give Dean a hand, and within five minutes the Impala was roaring away like nothing had ever been wrong. Dean had wanted to kick himself for not being able to fix it on his own. But, hell, it wasn't like he was the one with the fancy degree from MIT.

Dean arrived home to shower and change. It took longer than usual to groom himself and choose his clothes. And that fine. Nothing wrong with wanting to look good. A man should always take pride in his appearance. And if the shirt he chose happened to be the same as one of the band posters Castiel had prominently featured in his apartment, then it certainly wasn't because he wanted Cas to notice him...

…-^o^-…

Castiel was ready to bolt.

Anna's mother had NOT been what he was expecting. For starters, she looked nothing like Anna. Apparently, Missouri Milton had adopted Anna when she was just a small child. Where Anna had extremely pale skin and a slight, birdlike frame, Missouri had darker skin tone, and a robust frame.

The differences didn't stop there. Missouri also spoke her mind with a sharp tongue and a piercing eyes that had been trained on Castiel since they arrived.

Anna hadn't seemed to find anything strange about her mother's behavior, or her pointed looks to Castiel. The young woman had spoke gently, explaining to her mother that she had finally brought by her boyfriend so they could meet.

Missouri had immediately begun grilling Castiel.

"So, this is the young man who my baby has been gushing about for the last five months, huh?" She didn't bother hiding her assessment. She frowned at Castiel, "Well, I suppose you do have blue eyes. They don't exactly twinkle with humor like my girl described, though." She huffed.

Anna's face flushed. "Momma, you remember that? I…I thought you were under most of the times I visited."

Missouri turned to her and snapped haughtily, "Under? Child, that was me tryin' to sleep. And here you come, sitting there chatting for hours non-stop about this perfect man of yours. I thought for sure I'd wake up the next day to find a ring on your finger. You made it sound like you were ready to pick out a wedding dress, girl!"

Anna's face was almost the color of her hair and she was too mortified to look at Castiel. He felt a twinge of sympathy for Anna. Clearly she had been caught up in the excitement of young love when she was visiting her mother those few months. It would have been sweet and a little funny if it hadn't ended so sadly.

Castiel tried to remember Benny from his short visit to the Auto Shop. His mind pulled up a a stout man with a pair of ice blue eyes and a friendly smile. His southern drawl had rolled surprisingly soft off his tongue for such a tough looking giant. Altogether, he had seemed a decent sort of guy to Castiel.

And Dean seemed to like him. Extra points there.

Anna was floundering for a suitable comment for her mother, but Missouri didn't bother to wait. "Child, why don't you do your momma a favor and go on down to the cafeteria. I have been craving some of their special Clam Chowder like nobody's business all day."

Anna had been quick to stand, ever willing to do a favor, but she seemed to hesitate and glance worriedly at Castiel.

"Well, girl? Am I going to have to roll my aching body out of this bed and get it myself?" Anna jumped a bit, then exited, casting one final look back at Castiel filled with a desperate plea.

Then, Castiel was alone with Missouri.

The woman turned to stare at him, casting her sharp eyes from his head all the way down to his shoes and back again.

At last, she pulled her eyes up to his and said skeptically, "Listen honey. I know people. I get a feel for them, you know. I can spot a lie a mile away- especially from my little baby, there. And there are two things I can tell from the two of you. One thing I know for damn sure, is you aint the 'Benny' she was chatterin' on and on about while I was stuck in this bed. That girl told me everything but the man's credit card number and shoe size. Child must think I'm knockin' on Heaven's door if she tried to pass you off as her perfect boyfriend." Castiel managed not to cringe, but Missouri didn't even slow down.

"The second thing I am damn sure about, is that you are as gay as a sunny day in May. So, boy, who in the hell are you, and why are you here instead of this Benny-fellow?"

At this Castiel did flinch, eyes snapping up from where they were trained in embarrassment on the floor. Missouri was looking at him with pursed lips and a cocked eyebrow, waiting.

Castiel tried to mumble an excuse for their attempted deception, "Um, Anna… Anna wasn't sure what to do. The man, Benny, he, uh…didn't work out. I work with Anna, so she asked me to be here as a personal favor." Castiel finished lamely.

Missouri stared at him closely, before slowly nodding her head. "I swear that child is trifling..." The older woman huffed in irritation. "All she cares about is pleasing other people. As if I would be upset about her break up. I never even met the man in the first place, why should I be upset about it?"

She stared hard at Castiel again, "You know her mystery man?"

Castiel looked away and shifted his feet. He knew he wasn't going to be getting anything past this lady. "I, um, met him briefly once."

There was silence, and Castiel glanced at Missouri. She raised her eyebrows, clearly waiting for him to continue.

"He, well, he seemed…nice. He was pretty friendly. Um, I don't really know much else about him, though. Anna really is the best person to ask."

Missouri humphed. "Doubt it. That girl is so drunk on love for the man, I wouldn't be able to get a lick of sense out of her." She frowned and asked, "What happened then? Why did they suddenly turn the hoses on their relationship?"

"Anna may have, er, seen him being platonically affectionate with another woman." Castiel answered awkwardly, praying Anna would return to explain the details herself.

"Hmmm. Well, obviously she overreacted. I don't suppose she actually confronted him to ask about the situation?"

"...I don't think so, ma'am."

Missouri sighed heavily, rolling her eyes heavenward, as if asking why her child was so daft. "Alright, son. Looks like you and me are going to have to fix this." She narrowed her eyes as Castiel prepared to protest. He wisely shut up. "Now. What I want you to do is send that boy my way. I'll have a little talk with him about how lucky he is to have my baby's attention. You," she fixed Castiel with a steely glare full of threat, "will pretend like this little lie worked out perfectly. Got it?"

Castiel mumbled a 'Yes, ma'am'.

A few minutes of idle conversation later, Anna appeared with a confused look on her face. "Momma, the people downstairs say they have never served Clam Chowder. Are you sure you are feeling alr-"

"That's just fine, baby. I'm too tired to eat now anyway. You and your blue-eyed boyfriend get on out here and let me rest, will you?" She sent a sly wink over to Castiel, who smiled back weakly.

They left immediately after that. Anna was so relieved that their plan had worked that she spent the entire ride back to the Road House chatting openly, for the first time, about how grateful she was to Castiel, and how sweet and kind her sickly mother always was to her. Castiel did his best to act natural, despite being uncomfortable for the amount of deception he was being talked into doing lately.

When they finally arrived at the Road House, Castiel jumped out quickly, already over fifteen minutes late. Anna collected her things and exited more slowly. Castiel was about to bid her a hurried good-bye and race inside, but Anna turned to him and threw her arms around his neck, pecking him quickly on the cheek.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Novak. It means a lot to me to see my mother happy when she is so ill." She pulled away and gave him a gentle, but warm smile, then walked away to her own car across the large lot.

Castiel stared after her for a moment, feelings mixed between guilt and pity. Anna was a sweet girl. She deserved to have her happy ending. If Missouri could manage to pull it off, then Castiel should try to do what the older woman asked, right?

He pulled his attention back, realizing that he was zoning out when he could already be inside, with Dean.

Dean. Castiel smiled to himself, trying to contain a shiver of happy excitement as he made his way to the entrance.

…-^o^-…

A flash of the setting sunlight on red hair caught Benny's eye as he walked past parked cars to the entrance of the Road House. For a short second, his mind flew excitedly to the thought that it might be 'her', his beautiful red-haired angel. His common sense shut the the thought down quickly. It wasn't the first time that Benny had gotten his hopes up that his missing beauty was nearby.

He felt a sharp pain in his heart, remembering the concert. He hadn't noticed her until he stepped up from behind his drums to take his bow, the familiar mane of red pulling his eyes to a table close to the front.

And there she had been, wide eyes full of pain and fear. He'd made a dash for her immediately, mind racing excitedly at his good luck.

He wasn't sure what had happened to her. She had just not been there at their coffee shop all of sudden. He had waited for weeks at the same time, mind running through terrible scenarios. Beating himself up for talking so much, and never letting her tell him about herself. Hell, he didn't even know where in the massive ADA building she worked. He was an idiot.

But, then she had been right in front of him, frozen as she watched him make his way over to her table.

He had barely managed a happy 'Hello' and to ask her how she was over the loud sounds of the exiting crowd, when Jo had popped up next to him, wrapping her small arms around him and shouting about how fantastic he had been. He really needed to have a discussion with that girl about boundaries, but he just pulled her off himself casually, and turned back to his lovely angel.

And she was gone.

He had barreled through the thick crowd of patrons, running for the door to try and catch her, but he couldn't manage to break through quickly enough. He lost her. Again.

Now, even knowing that he would be disappointed, he couldn't resist staring at the woman getting into her car. Hope was a dangerous thing, he reminded himself.

As the woman buckled herself in and turned the vehicle on, he finally saw her face.

Anna-

But then, his angel was driving away, making a turn to leave the parking lot. He tried to call out to her, catch her attention, but she didn't see him.

He was desperate. His mind was shouting at him to stop her- quick! Do anything!

He ran, sprinting to catch her car. She was speeding up to head down the main road, passing now in front of the parking lot. He didn't have time to think-

-he raced out into the road in front of her car, arms waving desperately.

He had just enough time to see her startled eyes meet his in recognition, and to realize that he was an absolute, undeniable idiot, before her car struck him.

He rolled back from the force of the blow, landing hard against the asphalt. He lay there for several moments, dazed. The sound of several cars stopping and a few shouts could be heard. Then she was there, already crying and asking him if he alright.

Benny smiled up at her and gave her the cheesiest line on the planet, "I must've died and gone to heaven, cuz you look just like an angel, sweetheart."

…-^o^-…

Dean had been waiting with anxious excitement, having arrived almost a full hour early to the Road House. By the time six o'clock rolled around, he had already left the rest of the group and was standing outside by the entrance for Castiel. And that wasn't weird or anything, he assured himself.

He waited impatiently as the time ticked by, realizing that he had never gotten Cas's number. What if he wouldn't be able to make it? Dean would have no way of knowing.

By fifteen minutes past, Dean was practically a pacing wreck.

That's when he spotted the yellow 1994 Ford Mustang GT Coupe pulling into the large lot.

Nice car, Dean paused in appreciation from his frantic pacing to note.

The driver's side door opened, and Dean mouth split into a wide grin as Castiel climbed out.

Hell, yeah! Dean thought as he quickly checked his outfit and hair, then stopped himself in embarrassment. It wasn't like this was a freakin' date.

Castiel moved to the opposite side, where the passenger door opened, and suddenly a pretty red head was stepping out.

Dean's smile dropped fast. His mind sputtered a few times, before finally throwing out, 'She's probably just a friend he invited to meet everyone.'

Then she hugged him, giving him a quick kiss.

Dean stared, heart hammering in his chest. It felt like the rug had been pulled out beneath his feet.

Cas had a girlfriend...?

Of course Cas has a girlfriend! Dean's brain suddenly kicked back on, racing at lightning speed, And that's FINE. Yeah, perfectly normal. He's just a normal guy, with a normal girlfriend. A guy with looks and money like Cas probably never had to worry about girlfriends.

Dean tried to ignore the unwanted emotions that were assaulting his mind.

So, why did it hurt so much to finally see her. The woman who Cas slept with in his big bed with all the pillows. The woman Cas made omelets for. The woman Cas snuggled with on his comfy couch.

The woman he jerked off thinking about in his restroom at night...

Dean forced himself to look away.

This was good that he got a reality check.

Who knows what other stupid feelings would keep him awake at night if he hadn't gotten solid confirmation that Cas was straight and taken.

Yeah, it was a good thing.

The woman was starting to walk away from the Road House, and Castiel had paused, staring after her.

Dean shook himself once, repeating that this was all just fine.

He put on his familiar mask of unaffected happiness, then turned to hurry inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: How do Dean and Castiel's friends plan to help them out?
> 
> Awkward eavesdropping.
> 
> A (not-so-private) confession.
> 
> Cuteness. Loads of it.


	15. Eavesdropping

Castiel had to take several calming breaths before he moved to enter the Road House.

This is not a date. He kept repeating in his head. Just a chance to meet with Dean and his friends. Nothing to be worried about.

He walked through the front doors into the dim lighting of the Road House for the second time. Once again he was awed by the layout of the place. It was large, this time with the back bay door closed off. It was almost full again. Talking and laughing people packed into booths and chairs. Playing pool at one of the three pool tables off to one side. Shooting darts. Many dancing along to the country music blaring from the speakers. It was a shock to the system after coming in from the quiet calm of the parking lot.

Castiel felt so out of place in the environment- so lost in the sea of happy, shouting faces and moving bodies- that he almost turned around to escape.

He didn't belong here, with these people!

They were like Dean- glowing Social Butterflies.

Castiel was more like a Social Bat.

His tense body took a small step back, preparing to dart back out the doors.

Then Dean was there- his green eyes smiling as his hand landed on Castiel's shoulder, leading him forward. "There you are, dude! Everyone was starting to wonder if you were gonna make it." He gave Castiel a quick wink. "Don't look so nervous, Cas."

They finally made it past the crowd and to a corner filled with happy faces. All of the sudden their conversations stopped and all eyes were on Castiel. He stiffened, unsure how to greet Dean's friends. Dean must have felt it, because there was a gentle squeeze from Dean's hand on his shoulder.

"Guys, this Castiel Novak. Cas, these are the guys. Everyone play nice, alright?" Dean beamed.

And suddenly everybody was up and enthusiastically shaking Castiel's hands. They said their hellos, introduced themselves, told him what great things they had heard about him. Castiel was completely thrown off. He had never been so welcomed by a group before. The tight knot of anxiousness began to relax in his stomach.

Sam gave him a hard slap on the back, Jess at his side. The tall man was beaming at Castiel, "Great to see you again! We weren't sure if you were going to make it. Dean was losing it. We almost had to sedate him just to get him to sit still."

Dean gave an uncomfortable chuckle that was negated by the narrow-eyed glare he threw Sam.

Sam ignored him. "Go ahead and have a seat, Castiel."

There was a brief shuffling of chairs and feet, and somehow Castiel found himself and Dean wedged closely next to one another. Dean's left side was pressed warmly against Castiel's right.

Castiel tried not to notice it, but every time Dean shifted or leaned to say something into Castiel's ear, he felt the ripple of heat and muscle. There was no way to move his own chair further away. Ash, who was on Castiel's left, was pressed in too tightly, despite the fact that he was leaning away from Castiel to speak to someone else. Dean's neighbor, who Castiel recognized as his tow driver, Adam, was doing the same. The strange circumstances of their seating meant that even though both men were effectively trapped together at a huge table full of people, they were left alone to the privacy of their own conversation.

For a while, Dean chatted merrily, giving Castiel the low-down on several of his friends. Sam was across the large table from him, arm thrown around Jess. Castiel couldn't be sure, but it seemed like they were both trying to sneak subtle peeks at him and Dean. It was probably just Castiel's imagination.

The small, blond waitress, who Castiel remembered behaving oddly at the concert, appeared with several pitchers of drinks. Dean introduced her to Castiel as Jo as Castiel shook her hand.

"Wow! You've got some incredible blue eyes! Don't you think his eyes are amazing, Dean?" Jo asked with an innocent smile.

Both Dean and Castiel flushed at the question.

Dean took a few moments of stuttering before managing, "Um, yeah, his eyes are nice." He tried to look anywhere but at Castiel as he spoke. Castiel felt his cheeks grow warmer at Dean's compliment, and tried to look interested in his drink.

"And your hair is adorable, too! I love how ruffled it looks! Dean, Castiel's hair is awesome, huh?" She blinked wide-eyed at the question.

Castiel's hand immediately shot up to his try and smooth his unruly hair down, but Dean's hand darted out, catching his wrist quickly. He let go just as quickly, and Castiel met his eyes in surprise.

"Don't, uh, don't worry about it. I, um, …it looks fine." Dean mumbled, turning away to take a long drink from his beer. Castiel stared in surprise, noticing Dean's ears turn a deep shade of red. His hand tingled where Dean had gripped it.

Jo hadn't seemed to pick up on their embarrassment. She continued, "We are all so glad to finally meet you, Castiel. Dean has been talking non-stop about you since your visit to the Auto Shop. It's been nothing but 'Cas-this' and 'Cas-that'. He's practically obses-"

"Thank you, Jo!" Dean cut her off loudly, now clearly embarrassed, Castiel noted. "Don't you have a job to do?" He glared at her.

She smiled widely, and gave Castiel a quick wave, before hopping away.

Castiel fidgeted with his hands, unable to forget what Jo had said.

Dean had been talking non-stop about him, ever since the time at the auto shop. Dean liked his eyes. Dean didn't mind his wild hair.

Beside him, Dean was silent, shifting uncomfortably. After a few moments, he cleared his throat, "Um... sorry. Jo has a tendency to uh, talk too much, you know? She's actually really nice."

"Oh, no- I like her. She seems very…nice." Castiel murmured, still basking in his happiness that Dean apparently talked about him often.

Suddenly, the entire table was jumping up from their seats, Ash pulling Castiel from his chair, and several others ushering Dean up as well.

"Dance time!" Ash shouted gleefully over his shoulder to Castiel.

Castiel tried to dig his heels down to stop Ash's firm grip from pulling him onto the dance floor, as he attempted to shout over the noise, "Oh, no! Really! I, uh, I really can't dance. I'll just, I'll just sit this one out!" It was no good, Ash didn't seem to hear him. His grip just seemed to tighten around Castiel's arm.

Castiel flashed a panicked look back towards Dean, who was also being herded along. He looked confused by his friends behavior, but significantly less alarmed than Castiel. He met Castiel's terrified eyes, and smiled, throwing Castiel a thumbs-up.

They were pulled into the middle of the dance floor, where Castiel froze and stood awkwardly as bodies were dancing and shaking around him. Ash turned immediately away and began undulating wildly with two women in a super-short blue jean skirts and cowboy boots. The rest of the group did the same, turning away and beginning to dance.

Dean somehow ended up planted directly in front of Castiel, frowning as he looked around at his friends. His brother was dosey-doeing with a laughing Jess a few feet away.

His eyes turned back to Castiel, and he put on a grin. "Come on, Cas. Don't tell me you don't dance." His bright, friendly smile relaxed Castiel a bit.

Dean leaned forward, closer to Castiel, to be heard better. "You probably lose it on the dance floor like 'Footloose', huh Cas?" Dean laughed loudly as he began to move his feet along to the country beat. "I bet you can drop it like it's hot, right?" He winked.

Castiel couldn't help but laugh out loud at the completely off-the-mark comments, which made Dean smile even brighter.

"I drop it like it's luke-warm, at best." Castiel returned straight-faced to Dean.

Dean blinked a few times before doubling over from laughter. "Cas-haha! Cas, you are fucking hilarious, man! Hahaha!"

Castiel watched as Dean struggled to breath through his laughter. When he finally regained his composure, he grinned back at Castiel. "So, really, what do you know about dancing to country music? Anything?"

Castiel shrugged his shoulders guiltily, enjoying the way Dean's hips and feet were bouncing and swinging along to the music as he spoke.

"Well, it's pretty simple. All you have to do is a basic heel, toe, kick, then spin around in full circle." Castiel watched in amusement as Dean demonstrated for him. "Now you try." Dean suggested.

Castiel shifted nervously. He really wasn't coordinated enough to be trying complex moves like spins on a crowded dance floor. Somebody could lose an eye.

But, he glanced up to Dean expectant face and sighed. Well, there are worse reasons to embarrass himself than to make Dean happy, he thought.

He attempted to imitate Dean's heel, toe, kick. He went extra slow, drawing an amused chuckle from Dean who watched. It was a relatively successful attempt.

Then came the spin. Not wanting to faceplant on his first try, Castiel opted to do a slow turn with several careful steps.

When he made it back around to face Dean, the man had the back of his hand covering his mouth in a poorly-hidden attempt to hide his laughter.

Castiel blushed and resumed his awkward standing position.

"That was... that was great, Cas." Dean managed, nodding his head. "But, uh, maybe a little faster this time?"

Castiel frowned nervously, but nodded back at Dean. No problem, he thought. Just speed it up a bit.

He began. Heel, toe, kick- spin. He made it back around to Dean, with a light-headed grin. Dean gave him a wide smile and thumbs up.

"Almost perfect." Dean beamed as he moved forward, "Now, you just need to keep your hands hands right here, on both sides of your imaginary belt buckle-" Suddenly, Dean was too close, leaning down and gripping Castiel's hands in his, placing them firmly along the front of Castiel's stomach.

Castiel stiffened and it seemed like Dean froze, too. Castiel's hands were clasped gently in the warmth of his own.

Dean turned his wide eyes up to meet Castiel's, when without warning, someone bumped into Castiel hard from behind, sending his body slamming into Dean's.

Dean hands flew out, arms wrapping tightly around Castiel's waist as they both staggered. Castiel was thrown completely off balance, forced to grab onto Dean shoulders and shirt helplessly. His face landed against Dean's chest. Dean barely managed to catch himself from toppling backwards, taking several staggering steps.

Suddenly, the fast song that had been playing cut off- replaced by the slow tune of a completely different song. A deep voice crooned alongside violins, from the middle of a verse:

And we danced-

Out there on that empty hard-wood floor.

The chairs up and the lights turned way down loooooowwww.

The music played, we heeelllddd each other cloooooosssseee.

Neither man moved for several heart-stopping seconds.

When Castiel finally snapped back, he practically flung himself out of Dean's warm grip. Dean hopped back, too, turning fast in the direction of the now abandoned DJ booth against the wall. He glared suspiciously at it and Castiel heard him saying, "What in the hell?"

He turned back to Castiel, and there eyes met.

…-^o^-…

"What in the Hell?" Dean hissed, looking over the DJ stand. No way that could have been just a coincidence, right?

He turned and met Castiel's wide-eyes. Shit. The guy looked just as shocked and uncomfortable as he was.

His voice rattled out hoarsely, "Um, sorry about that, Cas. I guess they're having some... technical issues?" The slow music was still playing, and everyone on the dance floor had just decided to go with it. All around them couples were snuggling up into each other's arms. Sam and Jess were attached to each other by their mouths, hands wandering heatedly over each other. Jess reached around grabbing firmly at Sam's ass.

Dean cringed, Ugh-! Do NOT need to see that! He gave himself a mental shake. I need to get the hell out of here.

The memory of Castiel leaning against him, head buried in his chest and arms holding on for dear life had left Dean shaken.

It was an accident, he kept saying to himself. Just a small stumble.

It didn't matter the cause of the accident. Or the sudden slow music. Or any other odd coincident so far tonight. None of it mattered.

All that Dean could think about was how perfect Cas had felt in his arms for those few seconds. How warm, and right it felt. How it seemed like they were the only two people on that dance floor for a brief while.

Dean had liked it. Hell, Dean had loved it. He hadn't wanted to release the man.

But, he flashed to the red-haired woman, throwing her thin, pale arms around Cas. Lifting her sharp-heeled shoes to plant a lip-sticked kiss onto his shadowed cheek.

Castiel was hers.

Dean's mood was crashing fast.

Castiel was still watching him patiently. His blue eyes seeming to follow Dean's sudden mood change. A small frown was growing. Shit.

He stepped over to Cas, giving a quick pull on his shirt sleeve. "Let's, um, let's move. I need to take a break." Castiel nodded immediately and followed, not bothering to ask why or where-to. God, Dean couldn't help but appreciate Cas's calm personality. He was like a rock sitting in the middle of a rushing stream, solid amid the chaos around him. Dependable.

Dean decided to lead them into the back kitchen past the bar, and down a hall. The food service was shut down already for the night, and no one ever came back here after that. It was dark in the hall, and Dean slammed into several carts and things as they came to the entrance of the kitchen area. It did nothing to help his mood.

There were three large islands in the spacious room, everything from the cabinets to the shelves was a clean stainless steel.

Dean walked forward, stopping at the counter across the room. He kept his back turned to Cas as he tried to reign in his feelings. He wanted to ask about the woman in the parking lot. Make some sort of comment about why Cas didn't ask his girlfriend to join them. But he knew it would come out sounding bitter and catty.

Instead, he just stood there, hoping Castiel wouldn't think he was a drama queen for acting so weird. He wouldn't be wrong if he did.

"Dean?" He almost jumped at the gentle, low tone of Cas's voice from just a few feet behind him.

"Sorry, Cas. I just…I just need a minute." Dean mumbled apologetically. Fuck, he needed to get his shit together.

After a short pause, Castiel's voice asked, "Is it… Is this about Lisa?"

…-^o^-…

Sam was practically carrying Jess, still attached to his lips, as he navigated the dim hall way to the privacy of the back kitchens. If they didn't make it soon, he was probably going to end up taking her right there on the hall way floor. She wasn't helping, hands up his shirt, rubbing heated circles over his chest.

Shit, he needed them both naked fast.

He made it to the entrance of the kitchen, ready to throw her up against the nearest object, when he realized that the room was already occupied.

By none other than Dean and Castiel.

They both had there back turned to him and Jess, and Castiel was asking Dean, "Is it…Is this about Lisa?"

Sam and Jess's eyes met for a quick second before they both bolted for cover behind the closest island. Just in time, too, it seemed, as Dean's voice sounded as if he turned to face Cas. They both froze, trying not to make a sound.

"What?" Dean spun around fast, eyes staring in shock at Castiel. "Lisa? What would Lisa have to do with this?" He sounded genuinely confused by the question.

Castiel flushed, worried he had said the wrong thing. "It's just…you seemed upset when the slow music came on. And you were staring at the couples dancing…" Castiel trailed off uncomfortably. He started again, "I, um, remember Garth mentioning someone named Lisa, and you seemed upset about it."

"Oh. Oh, no! No, Cas, that isn't what's up. I'm not thinking about Lisa. She was just, um, well," He fumbled for the right words. It seemed too embarrassing to tell Cas about his train-wreck of a proposal. "Lisa's just my ex. We…ended on a bad note, and I had a tough time dealing with it for a while. I, uh, I don't really want to get into it, you know? It was a bad break up. You probably don't have to deal with those much, huh?"

He looked nervously over at Castiel with a small attempt at a chuckle.

Sam realized that they wouldn't be able to make it out the main door again. And, if they didn't move and the two men decided to leave, they would pass right by the hiding spot and see them.

He turned to Jess, motioning her desperately to start crawling around the island. She nodded, eyes wide, and began moving.

Castiel frowned sadly at Dean, and mumbled, "No, I understand, Dean. I, um, just had a pretty ugly break up myself, so I can, er, sympathize."

Dean looked surprised at the news. "What-seriously? Why the hell would a chick break up with you?" He stared at Castiel as if the idea was insane.

Castiel floundered.

He knew this was IT. This is the time he absolutely had to tell Dean he was gay. If he didn't, then anything from here on was going to be actively lying to him.

He stared at Dean's waiting eyes, praying hard as his heart nearly beat out of his chest.

Would Dean still look at him the same when he found out? Would his green eyes still be as open and trusting? Was this going to end whatever it was that they had?

Sam and Jess made it to the corner of the island, and tried to hop quickly around it.

They froze.

Ellen and Bobby were crouched low, backs against the island and wide eyes locked in similar terror on Sam and Jess's.

Ellen was holding her unbuttoned shirt closed with her hand, her hair clearly disheveled.

The two couples looked away from each other in red-faced embarrassment.

Castiel felt his chest tightening with fear as he managed to squeeze the words out, "I…I overheard my boyfriend saying some stuff about me to a co-worker. That's why I left him to move out here."

The silence following his statement was almost tense. Castiel felt like it was going to choke him.

Dean's face had frozen. His mind was racing through a million different thoughts and questions so rapidly that he couldn't process a single one.

Boyfriend-

Cas is gay-

Cas had a boyfriend-

Cas doesn't have a boyfriend anymore-

Cas doesn't have a girlfriend-

The red-head isn't Cas's girlfriend-

Cas likes guys-

I am a guy-

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Castiel was watching Dean quietly. The only sign that he was nervous was his hands, clenching an unclenching at his sides.

Dean realized that Castiel was waiting for something. Some kind of response from Dean. Hell, the guy had just told him that he was gay. That was a big deal, right?!

Dean had absolutely no idea what to say. His mouth managed to come up with something before his brain could sensor it, "Who was the red haired chick kissing you in the parking lot, then?"

The group hiding behind the island cringed as one.

God, my brother is the fucking King of Idiots, Sam moaned silently to himself.

Jess patted his hand, seeming to read his mind.

Castiel's blinked in shock before answering, "Anna? You saw that?" Dean just nodded, still flabbergasted. "Anna is one of the secretaries in my office. She just- she was just thanking me for going with her to visit her mother in the hospital."

Jess's mouth dropped open at Anna's name. Sam, Bobby, and Ellen all looked over at her. She looked back and smiled meekly, shrugging.

Dean was finally able to begin using his brain again. "Oh- shit, dude. I, uh, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I…I stepped out to wait for you and, just, kind of saw her and thought-"

Castiel was already shaking his head firmly, "No. Anna and I just work together. I, uh, I only date…men...I mean, nowadays..." He shifted stiffly, turning his eyes away from Dean's stare.

This couldn't possibly get any more awkward, Dean thought in a panic. He was fucking it all up. He needed to tell Cas it was okay. That it was fine that he was gay. Hell- great even!

"Cas, I, uh, I think it's…good that you're gay." Fuck, I am an idiot, Dean thought. He continued hurriedly. "I mean, everyone here is totally supportive. Trust me, Ash is about as flaming of a bi-sexual as possible and we all love him. So, uh, you don't need to be worried about being judged or anything. It doesn't change anything, I swear."

He watched Castiel visibly relax. Thank god his bumbling words managed to be effective.

The hidden group all breathed a silent sigh, nodding their heads.

Geez, Sam thought, not the smoothest save, but it would have to do. Now, tell him you like him, for Christ's sake-!

Castiel gave Dean a small smile. "Thank you, Dean. I'm- I'm glad you aren't… uncomfortable because of my preferences."

The group hiding behind the island were looking back and forth at each other, clearly waiting for Dean to confess.

"What?" Dean scoffed nervously, "No way, dude. It's totally cool! I'm happy you're happy." Castiel smiled as Dean continued to try to assure him that they were fine.

'Nervous Dean' was about as cute as he could possibly be, and probably just as rare to see.

"And I'm glad you ditched your lame-ass boyfriend. You deserve better. What kind of dumb fuck would talk badly about you? He must have been a fucking idiot."

Sam rested his head in his hands. Yep. That's my brother, the dumb-ass in denial. Everyone's hard work tonight, wasted.

Dean was leading into a righteous tirade now, and Castiel hadn't felt such relief and happiness in what felt like forever.

Dean wasn't going to run from him.

Dean accepted him.

Dean wanted kick the ass of Castiel's ex-boyfriend.

All was perfect with the world.

After Dean finished his incredulous rant about how Castiel was right to leave his loser ex high-and-dry, he turned with an apologetic smile. "Shit. Sorry, Cas. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything. I just wasn't feeling so good out there. Are you, um, ready to head back in now?"

Castiel gave Dean a warm smile and nodded, "Sure, Dean. I, uh, wanted to try the 'heel-toe' thing again. I think I can get the hang of it."

Dean grinned as they walked out, "Yeah, you're not half-bad. Just take some advice from the expert. I happen to be one of the best two-steppers in these parts."

…-^o^-…

After Dean and Castiel had safely left, the four eavesdroppers climbed weakly out from their hiding spots behind the island.

"Well, I guess that was…progress." Sam muttered.

"Yeah," Jess added, more cheerfully, "I mean, it's only a matter of time now. They're so obviously hooked on each other, they're bound to see it soon? Right, guys?"

A cabinet along the wall near where Dean had been standing suddenly swung open, revealing Gabriel crammed uncomfortably inside, "I don't know... that Dean guy seems to be swimming in a sea of denial."

The group stared at him, mouths hanging open.

Sam finally asked for them all, "Gabriel- how long have you been under there?!"

"Since those two horny kids busted in here and tried to scar me for life!" He pointed at Bobby and Ellen with mock-anger, but he didn't try to hide his grin. The couple blushed and tried to straighten out their clothing busily to avoid the three stares.

"God, Gabe-! Stop being a freakin' creeper and just come out and join everyone. It's much easier to get those two together when you're actually, you know, out there with them." Sam gave Gabriel a skeptical eye-roll.

"No offense, but fuck that idea. You guys don't understand- Cassie is scary as shit when he's pissed. The guy's an evil genius, I swear! You know what he did yesterday? Oh, God! It was horrible. My tarts. My buttery, crispy flaky, pineapple tarts. I have to show up at work- ON TIME- for the next month to get them back from Ruby! It's cruel and unusual punishment, I tell you!" He looked up from where he was almost sobbing into his hands.

The group was already half-way out the door, returning to the bar.

Well-! See if I share any tarts with you guys, then. Gabriel huffed to himself.

...-^o^-...

Ellen: Don't panic, but Dean's man-crush is confirmed gay. And Dean's a dumbass.

Mary: O: ? Dean didn't say something mean did he? He was raised better than that!

Ellen: No, he just came across as a moron, but is still friends with him.

Ellen: They danced together.

Ellen: It was adorable.

Ellen: Sending you the video.

Mary: OMG SUCH A CUTIE!

Mary: John won't watch it! Spoil sport! : ( Send more! LOL!

Ellen: BTW Have you talked to Sam today?

Mary: No ?

Ellen: Boy's a liar. Don't believe a word out of his mouth.

Mary: ?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The slow country song that came on is sung by Brad Paisley. It is called 'We danced'. Credit to him.
> 
> Next up: What happened to Benny!?
> 
> Phase one. Confrontation by annoying little brothers. (AKA- Sam, stop making me breakfasts, you asshole.)


	16. Phase One, With Eggs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm throwing two more chapters up early as a Thank You to 'Shinyredapples' and 'Thatwriterlady'. Thanks so much for the last few wonderful Comments you two!

Later that evening, Sam pulled several of the group of friends back into the kitchen where they joined Gabriel for an impromptu briefing. Dean was with Castiel at the pool tables, having intended to show Castiel the tricks of hustling. About fifty dollars later, Castiel was wearing a smug grin, and Dean was grudgingly taking pointers, instead. Sam figured they were going to be occupied with the lesson for a while.

He explained to those of the group that hadn't been present, what they had overheard in the kitchen between Dean and Castiel, making a point to leave off the part about 'how' they happened to overhear the two men's private conversation.

After a few moments of taking in Sam's words, Ash finally spoke up. "I just don't get it, dude. We have been setting them up all night. The seats, the subtle conversation topics, hell, even the dancing. It's like these two are dead-set against hookin' up! What's it gonna take to make them admit that they like each other- an Act of God?!" He threw his hands up and paced in concentration.

Gabriel, who was sitting on the edge of a counter swinging his dangling feet, interjected, "Hey, getting Cassie onto the dance floor used up the 'Act of God' card already, believe me. That's some incredible progress, in itself. Plus, he went back 'willingly'? Yeah, Divine Intervention played a role there." He nodded knowingly.

Adam spoke up next, his voice cracking with nerves, "I... I was trying to listen in, you know, to what they were talking about to each other. It was crazy, man. They kept referring to the Devil, or something. Dean was crackin' up and Castiel was complaining that, like, Satan was 'trying to eat his hair at night'. I just… I don't know…." The young man looked around worriedly at the group, as if asking if that kind of thing was normal to them.

There was a confused silence. Even Gabriel seemed nonplussed at the announcement.

"I think the dance stunt went really well," Jess suggested, trying to sound cheerful. "I mean, they didn't jump away immediately, so that's something."

There were several nods and murmurs.

After a few moments, Ash spun around and stated, "We have to stop bein' subtle about this, I think." The rest of the group raised their eyebrows in surprise and waited. He continued, "We're really going to need to amp it up, right? I think I have a plan. It's a three-stage set-up." Everyone gathered closer, listening and nodding as Ash spoke.

"Alright, first, Sam," He pointed over at the tall man, "You gotta make the first move, bro. Confront Dean. Tell him you've been noticing his interest in Castiel." Sam paled visibly. Jess gripped his arm and smiled up at him in a silent show of support. "I know it's not going to be easy, and I'm not expecting it to make too big of a difference right away. The real goal is just to reassure him that we're all fine with it. Relax him into the idea a bit. That's where I'll come in."

Ash grinned widely at this part, rubbing his hands together eagerly, "Step two is me telling Dean that I've been thinkin' about making a move on Castiel. If Dean reacts like I expect he will, he's going to panic. That should push him into taking some kind of action." The entire group's collective jaws dropped at the idea at first, then widened into slow knowing smiles.

Ash paced a few more steps, then turned back to the group."Step three is going to be the 'Big One'. We need to force them together- make them face their feelings in an enclosed environment. We need to find a place where we can trap them together."

The group looked at each other, thinking hard.

"Well... I have a home-made panic room in my basement." Bobby grunted helpfully.

The entire group, including Ellen, turned slowly to look at the older man.

"What? I had a weekend off," He glared defensively at the rest of the group.

"Well, that's kinky and all, but I don't think we've got too many convincing arguments to get those two into your basement, buddy." Gabriel chuckled, winking at the man.

"Maybe somewhere private at Castiel's office? Like a meeting room or something." Sam suggested.

"NO-!" Both Jess and Gabriel answered too quickly.

Jess looked at Sam apologetically, "Cameras. Everywhere. Too many people have made the mistake of trying to sneak into a room to uh, well…you know. The security guys play the tapes on Friday afternoons and charge people to not show the ones they 'star' in. Apparently they make a lot of money…." She cast a sidelong glance at Gabriel who shrugged, grinning unabashedly.

After a few moments of everyone trying to think, Gabriel hopped down from his perch and strolled over to the kitchen pantry door. It was stainless steel and a huge metal handle. He opened it slowly, testing it. Inside was an open corridor with shelves of dry food and jars on both sides. He shut it with an loud, ominous click.

When he turned back around, he was wearing a wide smile. The rest of the group was wearing matching grins.

…-^o^-…

It was almost nine o'clock when Dean noticed the text message on his cell phone. It was a short message from Benny asking for Dean to call him.

Dean left Castiel to his conversation with Sam about something like 'the feasibility of the juvenile justice system establishing pre-set waivers for non-violent crimes'.

Dean had absolutely no idea what in the hell they were talking about, but it gave him a chance to freely watch Castiel, and Dean was having difficulty pulling his attention away.

Castiel was full of surprises. Great sense humor. Mad pool-hustling skills, which went nicely with his unreadable poker face. Adorable dance moves. Smoking hot looks. AND he was gay.

Gay. Gay. Gay.

As in- he liked other guys.

As in- not any of the skanky chicks who had been hovering around him all night, trying to catch his attention or pull him into a conversation.

Nope- just guys.

Armed with this new knowledge, Dean found himself watching on with humor as women slunk over to Cas and paraded themselves seductively by. Cas was completely unfazed.

At one point, a bleach blonde babe had 'accidentally' bumped into him, and tried to spin it into a chance for a conversation.

She had stammered in a baby-ish voice that she was sorry, she was just 'sooo drunk'!

And Cas had looked at her with his super-serious stare and helpfully suggested that she should- 'probably stop imbibing for the remainder of the night'.

Her face had been priceless. Dean had to duck behind the pool table until he could breath again.

Dean only decided to leave Castiel's side because he was worried about Benny. The man had said that he would be joining them tonight to welcome Castiel, but he had never shown.

Dean hustled outside to make his call. The phone rang several times before Benny picked up.

'Hey, Dean, thanks for giving me a call.' Benny's voice was hushed, as if he was speaking closely into the phone, afraid of being overheard.

"No problem, man. I was getting a little worried, there. What happened to you?"

'I don't want you to get alarmed or anything like that now, you hear?'

Dean scoffed and answered, "Benny, I'm sure I can handle it. Where are you?"

'Well...you remember the girlfriend I was going on about a few months ago?'

"What-? Coffee Shop girl? The one who bailed on you without a good-bye or anything? Yeah. What does she have to do with anything?"

'…well, uh, I happened to see her this evening, as I was heading into the Road House. And, well…' Benny trailed off, as if hesitant to continue.

"Geez, Benny. Spit it out." Dean demanded, confused.

Castiel appeared at the doors, spotting Dean and walking over. Dean gave him a warm smile and wave.

'I may have thrown myself in front of her car to get her attention.'

"Wha-?!"

Dean had nothing. Castiel noticed his sudden look of shock, and gave Dean a curious glance.

'I'm totally fine, ya know. Just a few bruises and a sprained ankle. But, can you believe this- she's here, at the hospital with me. It worked, Dean!'

"…Benny. Are-are you shittin' me? You threw yourself in front of Coffee Shop girl's car?! Like- as it was 'moving'- just to get her to notice you?!" Castiel's eyes widened with something that Dean thought seemed more than just regular shock.

'Oh, now, don't make me out to be some sort of crazy person. I had to react quickly. And it worked out just fine.'

"You're in the hospital! How does that mean it worked out fine!?" Dean was trying not be furious at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"In the hospital WITH Anna. She's hardly left my side since they brought me in.'

Dean's mind caught on the name, and he suddenly asked, "Wait. Benny, you said her name is Anna? Is she a thin red-head?" He met Castiel's concerned eyes.

'Well, yeah. I'm sure I told you all about her a while back.'

Benny had described her to them all back then, but Dean was only just making the connections now. The red-headed Anna who had been all over Castiel this evening in the parking lot was the same Anna that Benny hadn't shut up about for months.

"Fuck, Benny. You know you are a stupid son of a bitch, right?"

'I regret nothin', brother.' Dean could hear the smug smile in his voice.

Dean leaned forward, covering the phone and said to Castiel, "Cas, I think your secretary accidentally hit Benny with her car. He's at the hospital with her now. Nothing serious."

Castiel's frowned and shook his head hopelessly, apparently lost in thought. Then, he slowly looked up at Dean and asked, "Could you tell him to visit Anna's mother while he's there? Room 114 on the first floor. Her name is Missouri."

Dean gave him a questioning look, but relayed the message.

After Benny confirmed that he would stop in and pay her a visit, and promised that he would be fine to return to work by Thursday, Dean hung up the phone.

He looked over to where Castiel was standing patiently a few feet away. Most of the crowd was inside, and the parking lot was empty and silent. The sounds of traffic passing by on the distant road was the only noise around them in the darkness.

Dean took the opportunity to take in Castiel's appearance fully. He looked fucking incredible tonight. The building floodlights casting him in a warm glow. He had ditched the office look, and instead wore a black Grateful Dead t-shirt with a maroon long sleeve shirt underneath. It was paired with worn blue jeans and dark brown boots. Between his clothes, his ruffled hair, and his super-serious stare, the man looked like he was ready to be in a music video. A sexy rock music video, Dean hummed with pleasure, his imagination sparking.

Dean tried to memorize the look, desperate to keep the image with him after the night was over. An image like that could get him through a tough day, easy.

He finally spoke, breaking the strangely comfortable silence between them. "So, Cas. You know we have another concert set up for this Friday, right?" Castiel looked at him with surprise. Dean hid his smile and continued, "Yeah, apparently the gig last week went so well that Ellen wants us to come back and play again."

Castiel looked over to him, eyes wide. "Congratulations, Dean. You did a fantastic job last Friday. You deserve it."

Dean basked in praise from Castiel. "Well, I figured, if you wanted to, I could hook you and your brother up with a set of free tickets, you know?" He tried not fidget with nervousness.

Castiel gave him one his small smiles and answered, "I- WE would really appreciate that, Dean."

"Great! Oh, and I wanted to get your cell number- just in case, you know, you end up being late visiting with old ladies and, I don't know, stuff…." He cursed himself for bumbling again. He'd never had problems asking for people's numbers before. Just more proof that being in close proximity to Cas turned him stupid. It was probably the warm blue eyes that never seemed to stop staring into his, like they were searching for something deep inside. They were distracting...

Castiel nodded and rattled off his number as Dean typed. When he finished, he heard his cell ding, indicating a text. He pulled it from his pocket as Dean grinned across from him. The text read 'Comms check."

Castiel smiled and typed something. A small beeping tune that Castiel recognized as the Power Rangers communicator alert tone sounded from Dean's phone. Dean looked at it and his brows furrowed. "What does 'Lima Charlie' mean?" He looked back at Castiel.

"It's phonetic code. L C, as in Loud and Clear." Castiel flushed and looked down, apparently embarrassed.

Dean chuckled huskily, appreciating the flush of color lighting up Castiel's cheeks.

Fucking. Adorable. He thought to himself. He felt his own face burning in response.

After a few more moments of comfortable silence, both men shuffling their feet and enjoying the fresh air, Dean finally suggested, "We probably need to head back inside before my brother organizes a search party." Castiel nodded. "Oh, that reminds me- why couldn't Gabe make it tonight?"

Castiel faltered for a moment, turning to head inside with Dean following. "Gabriel… had to handle some other matters. Work stuff, I think." He blatantly lied.

The evening had gone smoothly with just a few unexplained hiccups. God only knows what stunts Gabriel would have pulled if he had been there tonight. Castiel took a few seconds to appreciate his brother's absence.

...-^o^-...

Ellen: Update- the groups come up with plan to get your son and his crush together, romantic-like. It's got phases and everything...

Mary: They're taking this joke a little far, don't you think?

Ellen: I've been trying to tell you Mary... You can't see it cuz you're not here...

Mary: So, what? You're serious? No way Dean likes guys.

Ellen: A guy. And I'd put money on it.

Mary: $200

Ellen: Deal.

…-^o^-…

Dean awoke the next morning to the delicious scents of breakfast foods wafting from the kitchen.

"Oh, fuck. What now?" He groaned as he rolled over, tangling himself further in his warm sheets.

When he finally appeared, fully dressed for work, in the frame of the kitchen door several minutes later, Sam was already seated, apparently waiting nervously for Dean.

"Dammit, Sammy. What is it this time?" Dean asked, not bothering with niceties. He pulled up his chair and sat down heavily, loading his plate up.

Nothing Sammy could say was going to spoil Dean's mood. The last evening with Cas had been the most fun Dean had in a long time. He couldn't place exactly what was different about it. In fact, thinking back on it, they had mostly just talked the entire time, one long non-stop conversation, as they moved through drinks, pool, darts and so on. But, it had felt better than most nights out. Like Dean had spent the whole night laughing and joking. He smiled into his scrambled eggs, remembering.

Across the table, Sam watched him with a nervous smirk. Dean was smitten. He hadn't even managed to sound genuinely upset about the prepared breakfast as he usually did.

Sam forced his smile down, remembering what he needed to do. He took a deep breath.

"So, Castiel is awesome, huh?" He started carefully.

Dean spared him one quick glance before saying through his full mouth, "Duh." He returned to eating.

"You two really hit off. I mean, you were practically inseparable last night."

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged, not bothering to look up from his plate this time.

Sam decided to go for broke, "Do you like him?"

To his surprise, Dean fixed him with a obvious stare, "Of course I like him, Sammy." He gave Sam a weird look, then turned back to his food, shaking his head, as if he would never understand his brother.

Sam frowned. God, his brother was thick. It was obvious who got the brains in the family.

He sighed and rephrased his question, bracing himself. "No, Dean. I'm asking if you… 'like him', like him."

Dean looked back up at his brother perplexed, trying to interpret his words.

Then his face went completely slack and his eyes look like a deer in the headlights. His fork froze halfway between his plate and his mouth.

He stayed like that for several moments of tense silence, eyes locked on Sam's.

"-because I think it's great if you do!" Sam suddenly rushed to fill the silence. "You two really go well together! I mean, you really seem to like him and I think he likes you back and that's a good place to start in any relationship." Sam tried to nod and smile.

Dean was just watching in wide-eyed terror as Sam continued on, "And, you know, if you really like each other than something like gender doesn't matter-"

"-Sam. STOP. Just fucking stop!" Dean finally pulled himself out of his gaping shock. "I don't- I can't even-!" He grasped out for some sort of denial, stuttering.

Sam cut him off, seizing the moment of weakness to make his point clear. "No, Dean. It doesn't matter. I just want you to know that it's okay and I totally support you if you decide to start going out with Castiel, that's all. Nothing else to it."

He stated it firmly, and to emphasize it, turned to his plate and began eating as if nothing was amiss and the conversation was already over.

Across the table, Dean's mouth opened and closed uselessly, brows furrowing. He tried to think of an argument or anything he could say to his brother, but part of him was telling him to just shut the hell up and let the conversation stop there.

What had Sammy just said? 'If you decide'. As in, he wasn't calling Dean gay. He was just being his normal, hippy, free-love self and jumping to crazy conclusions, right? So what if Sammy wanted to let Dean know he was okay if Dean had a crush on Cas. Hell, that was like saying he was 'okay with Dean changing his hairstyle' or 'okay if Dean decided he liked Taylor Swift's music'.

It was just Sammy being Sammy.

It HAD to be.

Because if Sammy knew…anything about Dean's sex dreams, or how he really felt about Castiel at all, then Dean would DIE. Right there, at the table. Just keel over into his plate of eggs in embarrassment.

No, Dean insisted firmly to himself, Sammy says shit like this all the time. It was just him reading way too deep into his brother's life. He couldn't possibly know.

Dean tried to eat the rest of his food, but his nerves were completely frayed. He was beginning to go over everything in his head. All the times he had spent with Cas, looking for anything he had done that would have given him away to Sam.

He finally jumped up from his chair and mumbled a hurried, "Going to work."

He was out the door before Sam could even respond.

As Sam sat at the kitchen table alone, he glanced around.

No thrown food painting the walls...

No broken plates shattered across the floor...

The table was still upright...

A huge breathy laugh suddenly erupted from Sam.

Nailed it, he chuckled incredulously.

After taking a few more moments to appreciate the magnitude of his accomplishment and what it meant for Dean, he pulled out his cell phone and sent a text to Ash.

S: Phase one complete. Phase two is a go.

A: Roger. Initiating phase two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Phase Two
> 
> Castiel gets a WoW dating walkthrough from Charlie.


	17. Phase Two, Sexy Mullets

Dean couldn't focus.

No matter what job he was working on in the Auto Shop, his mind would keep wandering to Cas and to Sam's words that morning.

He tried to shake the thoughts off, constantly reassuring himself that Sam couldn't know about his feelings towards Castiel.

After going through his memories with a fine-tooth comb, Dean hadn't been able to find anything that would convince Sam that his brother liked Cas.

So, sure, he had talked about Cas a lot when he first came into the shop.

And, maybe spending an entire Sunday, and that night, at the man's apartment was a little unorthodox.

And, yeah, Dean had pretty much stuck by Cas's side all of Tuesday night.

Still, no way Sammy could have decided just off of those few things that Dean liked the man. Hell, Dean wasn't even a hundred percent sure what exactly he was feeling. How could Sammy know before him?

Dean huffed in frustration, unable to keep his mind on the tasks in front of him. Benny was out for the day, recovering from his 'not-quite an accident'. Apparently meeting Anna's mom had gone over great. The elderly woman had given the man the third degree for the first few minutes, then spent the next hour asking him why he wasn't her son-in-law yet. Benny had told Dean that the Missouri was a handful, but that the two were thick as thieves in no time. Then the older woman had strong-armed her daughter into taking Benny a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup to his house for lunch.

Dean had received about twenty excited texts since yesterday from the man, gushing about how perfect the red-head was. Hell, he was practically getting a play-by-play.

Bobby had decided not to call anyone to fill in for him today, which meant that Ash and Dean were the only people working the floor. Occasionally, Dean spotted Bobby with a wrench in hand, taking care of some minor maintenance. It was a pretty slow day, which was the only reason Dean was getting away with dragging his ass.

By the end of his lunch break, Dean was laid out on the break room sofa, still trying to figure out what gave him away to Sammy.

When Ash entered the room, Dean barely bothered to lift his head. It wasn't until the man spoke up that Dean acknowledged him.

"Hey, bro? Do you think my hair is okay?" Ash asked him.

Dean raised his head briefly to glance at the man's long mullet as he stood fixing it in the wall mirror. He lowered his head back to the sofa and mumbled, "Yeah, man. Majestic."

"You really think so? I don't know..." Ash sounded nervous, which caught Dean's attention. Ash was the epitome of confidence.

Dean looked back over at his friend and stated, "Looks great, man. What, you worried your hair might be going out of style?" Dean allowed himself a chuckle.

Ash gave him a wide-eyed frown before returning straight-faced, "No way, man. Mullets are eternal." He paused, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to share the next part with Dean, but decided to continue. "I'm just a little worried, you know. There's this guy…and, well, I'm pretty sure I have a shot. I don't want to blow it because of a bad hair day."

Dean finally rolled up to sitting position, throwing Ash a small smirk. "Oh, I see how it is. You got a little crush going on, huh?"

"Well, may-haps I do. I'm just not positive he's into me. I mean, I'm sure he's gay, because of my own finely-tuned Gay-dar. But, I can't tell if he's gonna go for my particular type. I know what you're thinking, how could he resist my flowing locks and doe eyes, right? But it's different this time. This guy's a real hottie. He could have anyone he wants." Ash huffed a sigh, "I'm probably just freaking out over nothing, huh? What do you think?" He looked over at Dean for his opinion.

Dean shrugged, picking up one of the car magazines tossed on the side table and began leafing through it. "I don't know, man. You usually manage to work some shady Hoodoo on people, and next thing I know they're all over you. You probably got nothing to worry about."

Ash gave him a grateful smile and released a deep breath. "Yeah, your probably right, dude. I just- I don't know- wish I knew more about him. The guy is like Pandora's Box-a total mystery. I don't even know what kind of things to talk about when I'm around him."

He stopped, as if a thought had just occurred to him. He suddenly spun around to face Dean directly. Dean cocked his eyebrow at the hopeful look in Ash's eyes.

"Holy crap, bro! I totally should just ask you. You know him better than almost everybody so far." Dean frowned in confusion. "Yeah- how did I not think of that before. He's probably told you all about himself!"

Dean was at a loss. "Ash, you lost me. Who the hell are we talking about again?"

"Castiel, man! My future husband Number Two! You know- only if Jason Frank doesn't lift the restraining order." Ash answered, like it was obvious.

Dean's jaw literally dropped. He stared in shock at Ash, uselessly opening and closing his mouth, trying to figure out how his world turned upside down so suddenly.

"You alright, bro?" Ash was giving him a worried look.

Dean tried to put his thoughts in order, but wasn't having much luck.

Ash liked Cas.

He wanted to make a move on Cas.

The fucking MIT graduate, who could potentially be as rich as Cas was if he wanted to, was going to try and hook up with Cas.

Dean's mind played through all the times Ash had been around Cas in fast forward.

Ash helped Cas with Lucifer in the garage when they first met.

Ash had already told their friends about Cas before Dean could that evening.

Ash sat right next to Cas last night, practically rubbing shoulders with him.

Ash had grabbed Cas's hand, pulling him onto the dance floor.

How the hell had Dean missed the signs?! Of course Ash was interested! Dean was fucking straight and even he wanted Cas! How could he have not considered that other men, especially gay ones, would try to pick up Cas?

Fuck! Ash 'the Kingfisher of Bi-Sexual Dating' Lindberg was going after Cas.

Dean's Cas.

Ash watched as Dean went from sitting frozen in shock, to suddenly past him across the break room, shutting and locking the door.

After a quick, thoughtful pause, he slowly dragged the room's heavy metal trash bin in front of it as well. Then an old folding chair that was resting against the wall nearby. For a second, Ash could of sworn he was eyeing the beat-up refrigerator, too.

Once he had effectively locked them in, and the rest of the world out, Dean turned slowly back around, keeping his eyes cast nervously down to the floor instead of on Ash. He ran his hands through his hair and down his neck, then back again several times.

Ash waited patiently for the man to speak.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Dean mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. His ears turned a bright red.

"I didn't catch that, bro," Ash responded, trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

Dean's wide eyes flew to his in frustrated anger then dropped back down quickly. He mumbled louder this time, his face getting impossibly redder.

"…said I like Cas..." He waited with his head down, arms crossed over his chest defensively.

Ash barely managed to choke down a snort. The poor guy looked like he was waiting to be taunted, like they were in middle school or something. Ash flashed to the familiar sing-song teasing, 'Dean and Castiel, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.'

He pulled himself together, throwing mock shock in his voice, "OH! My bad, dude! I didn't realize you already had dibs. I'll stand down, then."

Dean's head snapped up, as if he hadn't expected Ash to back down so quickly. After a few seconds Dean's voice broke the silence, "What? That's it...?"

Ash threw him a quick look and a shrug, "Yeah, man. Go for it. I think he likes you better than me, anyway."

"Wha…what? Psh-no way!" Dean spluttered. "I mean... what makes you think that?"

The man tried his best at looking nonchalant, but Ash wasn't fooled.

"What do you mean? The dude is clearly interested in you." Ash glanced sideways and saw Dean's face was practically the color of a tomato.

"Shut up, dude. No he isn't." Dean tried to sound sure, but there was an unmistakeable tremor of hope in his voice.

Ash decided to nudge a little further. "Nah, man. He totally is. I figured I only had a chance because you weren't an option. If you're in the game, though, then I got no choice but to bow out. He'll pick you for sure."

Dean took in Ash's words, his eyes lighting up.

After casting a few concerned looks toward the barricaded door, as if expecting a crowd of eavesdroppers to be listening intently right outside, Dean leaned forward and hesitantly asked, "Well, then, um. What should I…do?"

Ash gave him a genuinely confused look. "What do you mean?'

Dean shuffled his feet. "I mean, I don't know anything about asking a guy out. How do I act? What do I say?"

"Bro, it's practically the same as with any chick. You've got plenty of experience there, right? Just, you know, flirt with him a bit so he knows he has a shot. He probably thinks your strictly straight, so throw the dude some hints that you're into him."

Dean was rubbing the back of his neck again in nervous agitation, thinking hard. "I don't know, man. It's different with chicks."

"How's that?" Ash asked, face scrunching.

"I don't care if they shoot me down. There's plenty of other chicks out there. There's only one Cas." Dean stated matter-of-factly.

Ash paused in awe, wondering if Dean realized how obnoxiously 'sweet' the words he just said were. Apparently, the man hadn't even thought twice about them.

Ash sighed in frustration. Dean clearly was already on track for reeling Castiel in without even realizing it himself, especially if he could drop lines like that without a second thought.

"Dude, trust me. Just keep doing what you've been doing, and maybe add in a little more flirting. Castiel will catch on fast. Then it's just a matter of right time, right place."

In this case, Friday night, locked in a kitchen pantry, Ash thought to himself with amusement.

Dean was nodding his head slowly, frowning. He finally turned his eyes back to Ash's and stated, "Hey, thanks man. I, uh, really appreciate the advice. I wasn't sure who to go to about this, you know?" His face was reddening again, in the familiar custom of Dean expressing his feelings out loud.

"No problemo, dude. I'm always happy to help."

…-^o^-...

After Dean un-barricaded the door and left, Ash pulled out his cell phone and sent out a mass text to their group.

A: Phase Two was a success. Make preparations for Phase Three.

…-^o^-…

Dean thought about Ash's advice as he returned to his work that afternoon.

Flirting. Yeah, he knew how to flirt. Hell, he gave advice to others on the subject frequently. But the idea of flirting with Cas was like beginning an important test, then realizing the first page in that you have no idea what any of the answers are.

Ash had said it was just like with chicks, but it just didn't feel like that to Dean. It was more…terrifying. Just the thought that Cas may shoot him down the second he tried to flirt was enough to make Dean want to scrap the whole idea.

But, what if Ash was right, and Cas really was interested in him? Shit-! What if Cas flirted back?!

Dean tried to imagine Cas flirting. He pictured the blue-eyed man giving him a sexy wink. His body shuddered, and he felt his cock begin to stir. Fuck-

He pictured Cas leaning close to him, whispering something unimportant into his ear, then sneaking a quick lick of his tongue before pulling back away with a secret smirk.

Dean straightened up from leaning into the hood of the car he was working on. He looked around the garage nervously, trying to shift his hardening shaft carefully in his tight pants.

Damn. Cas was already almost too sexy for Dean to deal with when the guy 'wasn't' trying. If he actually flirted with Dean, there was no telling if Dean would even survive.

But, fuck, what a great way to go...

Just the chance to see Cas lose his calm demeanor and watch his blue eyes glaze over with lust-

Dean practically threw his tools down and walked uncomfortably across the garage to the privacy of the rest room, praying no one suddenly appeared to witness the obvious bulge in his pants.

Yeah, he could definitely give flirting a try. And, god help him if Cas flirted back.

...-^o^-...

Ellen: Hope you got that money ready. Dean told Ash he's got the hots for his crush.

Mary: Bull Shit

Mary: So sorry! John took my phone. But, I concur. BS. Send proof or bet's off.

Ellen: Cheapskates...

…-^o^-…

Castiel was working on a report at his office computer after lunch, when his phone dinged, indicating a text.

He glanced at it, assuming that it was Gabriel, as usual. Instead, he saw the name 'Dean' flash. He snatched the phone up so quickly that it almost flew from his hands.

D: Hey

Castiel stared at the word, feeling a small buzz of excitement. Dean was thinking about him. Castiel smiled to himself, then responded.

C: Hi Dean.

He set the phone down, but didn't return to his work. Instead, he waited nervously, hoping that the man would text again-about anything.

His phone dinged.

D: how is work going?

C: It is good. Mostly computer work. How is your work going?

D: Ok. Mostly engine issues today.

Castiel sat anxiously in his chair, wandering what else he could ask Dean to keep him texting. He didn't have to, because Dean texted again.

D: Road House again tonight?

Castiel felt his heart beat speed up. Another night with Dean? Two in a row? It was almost more than he could hope to ask for.

C: I would like that Dean.

D: great! i'll see you soon then. : )

Castiel gripped the phone tightly in his hand, smiling to himself.

Dean wanted to see him again. He wouldn't have to wait until Friday.

In just a few more hours, Dean would be talking to him again. Smiling at him again.

Nothing could bring Castiel down from the cloud he was floating on.

…-^o^-…

Charlie was practically hopping up and down with excitement in her chair. Anna had called in a sick day that morning, which Jess had been quick to correct. According to Sam, both Anna and Benny, who Charlie remembered from their meeting on Monday, had been in a relationship. But Anna had disappeared and no one could figure out why. Then, Benny had spotted her at the Road House and thrown himself in front of her car in a desperate effort to not lose her again. Charlie had nearly died from laughter at the romantic gesture.

Now Jess was describing how their plan to force Dean and Castiel together had gone over.

"No frickin' way!" Charlie practically squealed as Jess recounted the past evening to her. "And they never realized that you were all there, listening?"

Jess grinned and tried to hush her, looking nervously over to Castiel's office door. "Yeah, it was crazy! And so we all got together again and came up with the new plan. Sam and Ash are handling the first two steps, then we are going to trap them together in the kitchen pantry after the concert Friday. We already have that part set up, so we just have to wait. I totally think it's going to work. I mean, you should have seen those two, it was like they couldn't stand to be apart. Oh my god, it was the cutest thing! So- Sam and Castiel were talking, and Dean got up to go outside to make a call, right? And Castiel just kind of watched him, and completely loses track of what Sam was saying to him. Castiel looked so freaking pitiful wondering why Dean was leaving! Then he just completely ditched Sam to go find Dean! It was so sweet!"

"Oh-my-God. So cute!" Charlie practically shrieked as she covered her blushing face. "I am so bummed I missed it!"

The door to Castiel's office opened and he leaned out, wearing a look of concern. "Is everything okay out here? He asked, looking at both women and noting Charlie's flushed face.

"Oh, yes sir. We're fine. I was just talking to Charlie about my date with Sam last night." She turned to look at Charlie, "I almost forgot. You said you had another date. Did it go well?" Jess asked.

Castiel stepped out from his office and joined them, sitting down in Anna's empty chair. He nodded at Jess's words, interested in hearing about Charlie's date, too.

"More like abso-freakin-lutely perfect!" She swooned in her chair, eyes going distant. "She brought us both a glass of Dalaran White and some Alterac Swiss. Then we took a walk through Ashenvale and talked for what felt like forever." Castiel and Jess smiled and nodded at her, slightly perplexed.

"I, uh, I've never heard of Ashenvale. Is it a nice area?" Jess asked, trying to think of where Charlie was referring. She cast a quick glance at Castiel who seemed even more lost than her.

"Oh, yeah, very fun." Charlie continued with dreamy enthusiasm. "We passed by this dwarf rogue, and he was totally a level eighty-five, but his gear was crap, so we took him out pretty easily." Castiel and Jess's smiles both dropped to be replaced with looks of confusion. "She's frost specced so the poor little bastard never had a chance. Then we went to Undercity and sat on one of the canal bridges and talked while we fished."

Charlie let out a deep contented sigh, and murmured more to herself than them, "It was…magical."

Jess and Castiel met each other's eyes in bewilderment before turning back to Charlie. Jess finally asked what they were both thinking.

"Um, Charlie? Your date was…in an online game?" She asked tentatively.

"Yep! We met a while back. Her real name is Gilda and she's just…wonderful." Charlie was clearly smitten, so Jess tried to be gentle with how she phrased her words.

"So you…you've never actually 'met her' in, like, the real world?" Jess tried.

"Hmm? No. Not yet. But, we've definitely been talking about it!" Charlie didn't seem to see anything wrong with this, so Jess pushed harder.

"I guess what I mean is, what if 'Gilda' is actually a forty-eight year old, morbidly obese woman with no job and about thirty cats...?"

Charlie just shrugged blissfully, "Doesn't matter. It's love." Charlie's eyes glazed back over and a wide grin was spread across her face.

Jess turned to Castiel. He was staring in intense confusion at Charlie. His brows were furrowed and his head was tilted slightly. When he spoke, it was slowly and thoughtfully to Jess, "This is…very complex. Why did they need to hurt the dwarf during their date? Is that the norm when dating online? Did the dwarf do something wrong?"

Jess was grateful when Charlie's desk phone rang, interrupting the bizarre conversation.

Charlie barely got two words out before she appeared to be cut off by the person on the other end of the line. After a moment, she handed the phone over to Castiel, quietly saying, "Crowley".

"Yes, sir?" Castiel said.

'I'm sure you're already aware that your last Think Tank was considered a… 'large success' by upper leadership.' He didn't sound as impressed. 'I want you to do another. Today, in fact. Marketing Team Number Two. I expect to have the results on my desk no later than noon tomorrow. Are we clear?' He didn't wait for Castiel to answer. A click signaled the call was over.

Castiel frowned as he set the phone down.

He was supposed to meet Dean tonight. It was already almost two o'clock. By the time they got the room set up and reviewed the profiles, it would be four-thirty.

Charlie had been smiling when she passed him the phone, but she stopped as she watched Castiel's frown grow. "We good, boss? Is it another Think Tank?"

"Yes. Go ahead and prepare the room. Marketing Team Number Two. I'll go through the profiles in my office." Both women watched worriedly as he trudged back to his office and shut the door.

Charlie turned to Jess, "He didn't seem very excited."

Jess just nodded and shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my BFF, the wonderful Vaedana (on FF.net)! I had to hit her up for WoW dating tips. I have no idea what I typed so if it is kinky or grossly inappropriate-thank her.
> 
> Next up: Dean has some trouble -cough- down there.
> 
> Castiel really likes burgers.
> 
> Dean surprises Castiel (and himself)


	18. Failing At Flirting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely comments! It's great to see more people wander in here.

Dean was changing the oil in a car and humming cheerfully along to the radio when he heard his phone go off.

C: Sorry Dean, but I have been asked to work late tonight. I probably won't be done in time to meet up with you.

Dean re-read the text several times, frowning deeply. He could practically feel the happy excitement draining from his body.

Shit. Cas wasn't going to be there tonight. Dean wasn't going to be able to try his flirting techniques on him, like he had planned. He had been thinking all day about what the best lines and moves were. He had been building up nervous anticipation, wondering how Cas would respond to them.

Now it almost seemed a waste to even go himself. What was there to do if Cas wasn't there? Hell, what did Dean usually do?

He could sit at the bar and drink.

Maybe find someone to play a few games of pool with him...?

He huffed a sigh of frustration.

It all just seemed so pointless without Cas. It sounded crazy, but it was true. His normal routine seemed dull compared to when he was able to be with Cas. Even if he had only known the man for less than two weeks. It was like his life was separated into two portions: The time before Cas, which sucked. And the time after meeting Cas, which was awesome in ways Dean couldn't describe, but could feel, regardless.

He frowned at the message once more, then grudgingly responded.

D: no worries. i'll hang out there in case you manage to get off work early.

C: Ok. I'll see what I can do.

…-^o^-…

Castiel was sure that he broke a record. Not to mention several chairs, a white board, and the corner edge off the conference table.

He hadn't wasted any time as Marketing Team Number Two filed in. The door had barely shut before he went into action.

He used all his best techniques, forcing the terrified group to perform at their highest level to make the best marketing plan possible. Any resistance was squashed mercilessly. The weak were left behind.

One man had even fainted, and the group spent the rest of the time ignoring his body laying across the floor, except to step over it occasionally.

They had a finished product that was sure to be hit, and it only took five and half hours.

…-^o^-…

When Charlie unbolted and opened the door, the group filed out with the usual excitement accompanying a successful Think Tank.

She glanced inside to see Castiel hunched over the conference table, frowning dejectedly.

"Boss? Everything good?" She asked carefully.

Castiel sighed heavily, not looking up at her. "It's already past ten o'clock."

Charlie nodded slowly and stated, "Yep. That was the most hardcore Think Tank I've ever seen. You were awesome, sir!" She tried to cheer the man up.

She wasn't sure if he even heard her.

He slowly rose from the table and walked past her out of the room, mumbling, "Too late to try and show up now."

She watched as he made his way over to his office grabbing his coat and things, then stood at the elevator. He seemed lost in his thoughts, barely acknowledging what he was doing. It was like watching a zombie, Charlie decided, except way cuter and significantly less awesome.

"I'll, uh, get the data and stuff together like usual, 'kay boss?" Charlie called to him, her voice worried.

He gave her a small hand wave to go ahead.

The elevator dinged and he disappeared inside.

After he left, Charlie sent out a quick text to Jess.

C: OMG. He is soooo bummed. It's adorable but super-sad at the same time. : (

J: Yeah, Dean's been about the same here. Sucks that the Think Tank had to go down today. Hope there isn't one on Friday…

C: Totally! And I was so pumped that Ash got Dean to admit he likes him! I wanted to hear about Dean trying to seduce him!

J: It'll be fine. We still have tomorrow, and then Friday which is the biggie!

C: Yay! I'm so totally going to be there. I explained everything to Gilda and she is super-supportive, too!

Charlie sat her phone down, huffing a big sigh and clapping her hands together. No sense crying over spilt milk. There was still plenty of time to hook Castiel up with his Prince Charming.

She began working on transcribing the data, humming the Cinderella song, 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes'.

…-^o^-…

Dean was sitting grumpily by himself in a corner, being what Sam had referred to multiple times that night as 'an anti-social ass'.

Dean hadn't even bothered to snap back at his brother. He just kept his phone clenched in his hand, drinking coffees to keep himself awake. He didn't care when Cas got off work, he was determined to be awake and ready to meet up.

He checked the time on his phone constantly.

What the hell had Jess called his meeting? A Brain Tank or something? Whatever. She had tried to describe it to him because he wouldn't stop asking her how long they usually took, and whether they would be done before the bar closed up for the night. She hadn't been able to give him a good answer and it just made him more frustrated.

His phone chimed the power rangers tone, and Dean already had it opened before it finished.

C: Sorry. Just got out. I won't be able make it tonight.

Dean's shoulders slumped in defeat. It was pretty late for a weekday. But he had still hoped that Cas would be able to swing by.

D: no problem. bet youre tired.

C: Yes, and I still need to type the report tonight. I really am sorry Dean. I was looking forward to it.

D: don't be. we'll catch up again soon.

Dean sat his phone down beside him, and rested his head in his hands.

Shit. No Cas tonight. Maybe he could catch him tomorrow? He had to see him before the show. Most of that time would be spent on stage, away from him. Then they would have a whole weekend apart. Unless, Dean came up with something…. Maybe invite him out somewhere besides the bar.

Dean let his mind wander in thought, thinking of a way to get Cas to spend more time with him.

Suddenly, a hand was grabbing his ass tightly. He let out a sound that would have been a squeak if Dean wasn't way too masculine to make that sound.

"Well, hello handsome! What the hell are you doin' sitting by your lonesome?" Dean turned at the sound of the voice.

"Geez, Pamela. You trying to leave more embarrassing bruises on my ass? The last one was pretty tough to explain." He forced himself not to sound as miserable as he felt.

"Well, the best way to avoid that is to only sleep with me, obviously." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, leaning close. "Speakin' of wild sex, I really missed you the last few months. I heard about the she-bitch." She gave a small hiss at the mention of Lisa, but her smile returned quickly, a gleam in her eye. "But, her loss, my gain, right? What do ya say we hit it like the good ole days, cowboy?" She was already pulling him from his chair and leading him past the crowd and out the doors before he could process what was happening.

Pamela had been Dean's go-to for casual sex since he was a teenager. She was a little older, which had been the appeal. As he grew, she had somehow become his 'in-between girlfriends' hook-up. Whenever Dean wasn't dating anyone, or was just too lazy to pick up a new chick for a fling, she was who he called. They had developed a solid relationship around 'no strings attached booty calls'.

Dean could feel the familiar pang of arousal. He had been 'going solo' for what felt like forever, having tired of his usual one night stands afer Lisa. The thrill had been lost. But, since Cas's appearance, he had been jerking off practically every chance he got trying to control the raging lust and attraction the man caused in him.

He needed a lay. Desperately.

Pamela latched onto his lips and began groping him before they even made it across the parking lot to Dean's car. The motions were so familiar to them both by now that they had the Impala's back door open and were sliding across the seats without even breaking apart. Dean slid his hands up her blouse to unclasp her bra, but realized that she had skipped out on wearing one this evening.

She sat on top of him, grinding her hips against his jeans while running her nails up and down his chest under his shirt. She moved them down teasingly to unbutton his pants and reach inside.

After a few seconds, she pulled back slowly and gave him a strange look.

"You awake, honey?" She frowned.

Dean looked up at her from where he was half-lying against the door. "Uh. I…well, yeah. I don't know what…." His hands had stilled on her waist, and he blinked up at her, then down at his limp cock.

"Well…fuck." He sounded almost amazed, as if he had suddenly realized something, which irked Pamela.

"Well apparently 'fuck' isn't quite the right word. Is there some sort of problem here?" She was clearly becoming annoyed by Dean's lack of enthusiasm. "You got some other chick you would rather be with? Because it sure as hell doesn't seem to be me." She felt Dean's hands pull away from her bare skin.

"Um, actually, I…I don't think I… Maybe, uh... ." Dean was stuttering. "Let's just, let's try something. Real quick, okay? Just kinda, lift your shirt for me?"

Pamela was about to really lose her shit. She jerked her shirt up angrily, proudly exposing her ample breasts of which Dean had always been a huge fan.

The yellow glow of the streetlights gave Dean a clear view of the two perfect globes. He stared at them with a look of deep concentration for several seconds, then glanced incredulously down at his placid member.

He looked back up, meeting Pamela's eyes, and suddenly let out a short burst of amazed laughter.

Pamela hissed angrily, dropping her shirt and grabbing the door handle. She jumped out of the impala and turned on Dean as he slid out and buttoned his pants back up. "Are you a god-damn idiot? Huh?! What the hell is so fuckin' funny? I'm hot, you son of a bitch! You know what that makes you? Impotent!" She practically shouted the last part, pacing away from him, lost in a rage. She turned to him again to continue ripping into his apparent lack of manhood.

To her amazement, Dean was already hopping into the driver's seat and starting the car up.

He paused just long enough to roll down the window and call over to her, "Sorry, Pam. I just figured something out. You're still totally hot, don't worry! I just- I need to go see someone. Right now."

Then he was gone. Just a pair of bright tail lights fading in the distance.

…-^o^-…

"Where the hell did Dean go? Did he leave for the night?" Sam plopped down in the chair next to Jess, gulping from his drink in annoyance.

"I'm not sure. Charlie texted a few minutes ago. She said they just got out. I don't think Castiel's going to make it. He still has to write up the report on the meeting."

All of the sudden, Ash was slamming into the table with a crazed look in his eyes, rattling the mugs and bottles. "Dude! Pamela! She's here somewhere. People saw her- with Dean!"

Jess watched in alarm and confusion as Sam almost flipped the table over jumping up. "Fuck-! Find them-quick! They couldn't have gone far." He looked around panicking, trying to think. "Oh, shit! The car!"

Sam and Ash dashed away, weaving impatiently around people and heading for the door.

Jess wasn't sure what was happening, but she jumped up to follow after them.

Sam made it out the door first, followed closely by Ash and Jess. He was already running across the parking lot, when the figure of a woman appeared from behind some cars, stomping toward the entrance.

Sam stopped, and so did the woman. She stared at the three of them for a tense moment, then threw her arms up in the air and shouted, "Does anyone want to tell me what the hell is wrong with Dean?!"

Jess watched as Sam and Ash both released huge sighs of relief.

…-^o^-…

Castiel had only made it about twenty minutes into his report before giving up in frustration.

Lucifer was out of control with energy, launching himself in circles around the entire apartment, then hopping up on Castiel and his laptop to try and nip at his hands.

Castiel was tired. His stomach was growling in protest for missing supper, but he didn't have the energy to cook anything. He was drinking water to try and fill the empty void.

He realized that there wouldn't be any work accomplished until he wore the kitten out for the night.

He was teasing the kitten with his favorite toy when the doorbell rang.

A glance at his clock showed that it was a little past eleven o'clock at night. He walked to the door hesitantly, and looked through the peep hole.

His entire body froze with shock.

The doorbell rang again. Not sure what else to do, Castiel unlocked it and opened it up.

"Dean?"

…-^o^-…

Dean smiled nervously, suddenly realizing what a stupid idea this was.

Castiel was staring at him with startled eyes from the other side of the door. He was wearing one of his tight t-shirts and his familiar flannel pajama pants. His hair was damp and mussed, like he had just stepped out of the shower.

Dean felt a rush of heat rip through him, shooting straight down to his cock. It stirred to life immediately.

Thank God for that! Dean thought to himself with relief.

He had been pretty sure when he hadn't been able to get it up for Pamela, but he still needed absolute confirmation. It's not the kind of thing a guy could delay checking on.

He realized Cas was waiting patiently for him to say something. He was holding a long stick with a feathery object attached by a string hanging from it. Behind him, Lucifer was attacking the feathered end, tugging at the toy furiously.

"I, um, I thought you might want something to eat." Dean held up a greasy Big Gerson's bag in front of him lamely. He cringed inwardly, waiting for Castiel to snap something about how late it was.

Castiel's eyes latched onto the bag instantly, and he exhaled as he spoke deeply, "Oh, thank God." He grabbed the bag from Dean's hand, stepping back into the apartment and almost ripping it open.

He suddenly let out the most indecent moan Dean had ever heard. "A Burger! Oh, God-yes!" It came out as low pitched moan, reverberating through Dean's entire body until he was humming with barely-checked arousal.

All Dean could do was watch in helpless fascination as Castiel unwrapped the burger hurriedly and stared at it in way that made Dean's pants tighten painfully and his pulse pound loudly in his ears.

Castiel was about to take a bite, mouth opening widely, when his eyes turned back to Dean, still standing in the doorway.

He snapped his mouth shut, to Dean's dismay, and he began apologizing profusely. "Ah, I-I am so sorry, Dean! I didn't mean to- Please, come in. Thank you for bringing food. I'm just…really hungry." His cheeks reddened beautifully and Dean could care less about courtesies.

He grinned at Cas and shut the door behind him. "No worries, man. I wasn't sure if you'd mind me coming by so late. Eat up." He gestured to the burger in Cas's hand.

Cas nodded. "It's fine. I have to be up for a while to finish my work anyway. Plus, Lucifer is having abandonment issues and wants constant attention." He nodded to where the kitten was amusing himself with his toy on the floor, before eagerly raising the burger back to his mouth and taking a juicy bite.

Dean's eyes widened as he watched Cas's head roll back in ecstasy as he chewed. "Mmmm! I haven't had a burger in months." He looked down at the burger with something close to lust and said around his mouthful, "These make me…very happy." He smiled as he took another bite, savoring it.

Dean's eyes were stuck on Cas's moving lips, watching as his tongue darted out to lick a fleck of sauce from his mouth. He turned away to make use of the counter of the breakfast bar.

Fuck... That is one lucky burger, Dean thought with a silent groan.

This is it. Time to make a move-

Dean stepped closer to where Castiel stood and took in a deep breath to calm his restless nerves.

It's just like flirting with women.

Just make it something obvious and see how he reacts.

Smooth and easy.

I've got this-

Dean opened his mouth to speak, and at that moment Castiel brought his fingers up to his mouth, thoughtlessly licking dripped sauce off them.

What came out of Dean's mouth was a loud, heated groan.

Castiel stiffened, fingers falling away from his mouth. He turned slowly around to look at Dean with startled blue eyes. His mouth was still parted, barely.

Dean lost it.

His hand shot forward, grabbing Castiel's shirt collar and tugging him forward as he closed the distance between them. The burger fell loosely from Castiel's hand onto the counter.

Dean's mouth locked onto Castiel's, grazing gently against the other man's lips, pressing against their soft warmth. The foreign brush of his stubble rubbed against Dean's. He inhaled sharply, Castiel's clean scent causing a jolt of primal hunger to shoot through him.

Dean felt Castiel's body tense, a hand shooting up to grasp at Dean's shoulder.

Dean caught it, wrapping his own tightly around the wrist to halt its movement. He leaned in deeper, ravishing Castiel's mouth with all the finesse he could muster, until he felt the hand go limp in his. Dean suckled harder at the swollen lips, giving a happy murmur when they finally parted. He thrust his tongue forward, probing.

Castiel tasted tangy and hot. He exhaled a breathy moan of pleasure that Dean was quick to swallow. He moved his other hand to wrap his arm around Cas's waist, drawing him in closer.

Dean swirled his tongue, relishing in the sweet heat and groaning eagerly as he delved deeper.

Suddenly, Castiel's hand pulled free of his and shot forward, grabbing tightly at Dean's shoulder, pulling him in closer. Castiel's tongue warred with his as he began responding back enthusiastically.

An unexpected shove on his shoulder made Dean spin around, which was followed by a push that had Dean stumbling backwards, his back bumping the edge of the breakfast bar as Castiel lunged forward and pressed him tightly against it.

He took advantage of Dean's distracted surprise, deepening the kiss on his end and taking the lead. His other hand shot beneath Dean's shirt, sliding hotly over firm, flat abs, then further up, fingers gliding deliciously across nipples. He slid his leg between Dean's, his knee grazing against Dean's hardened shaft, forcing a keening moan from deep in Dean's throat.

Dean felt Castiel respond with a deep, rumbling growl that startled him. He pulled back in surprise at the sudden aggressiveness from Cas.

Dean's eyes locked onto Castiel's blue ones from just a few inches away and he froze.

Castiel's eyes were dilated, completely glazed over with lust. His brows were drawn tightly together. He was breathing deeply, fingers digging into Dean's shoulder holding him firmly against the counter, while the other hand was splayed warmly across Dean's exposed chest, thumb ghosting over his nipple. Dean felt his cock twitch against the pressure of Castiel's leg through his jeans.

Castiel looked like he was about to devour him and leave nothing behind.

All Dean could manage was a breathless, whimpering groan of arousal.

Hearing the small sound wrung from Dean, Castiel abruptly came back to himself.

His eyes cleared and widened as he suddenly seemed to realize where he was, and more importantly, what he was doing.

He flung himself away from Dean like he had been scorched, taking several steps back.

The sudden absence of Castiel's heated body holding him up left a cold vacuum that Dean almost pitched forward into.

He caught himself, reaching out and catching onto the edge of the counter behind him.

His eyes swung back up to Castiel's and he recognized the look of shock and panic.

They stared at each other, standing just a few meters apart, in the deafening silence of the apartment.

The brief amount of time and distance gave Dean an opportunity to think clearly again, and the sudden rush of thoughts and emotions began to overwhelm him.

Flirt.

You were supposed to flirt.

Supposed to be charming and flirt with him.

Supposed to use your words.

You kissed him.

A man.

You kissed Cas.

Cas kissed you back. Hard.

Motion caught his eye and he turned away from Castiel to glance dazedly to his left, where Lucifer was happily chewing on large bites of Castiel's half-eaten burger.

Castiel followed his gaze.

Their eyes met again.

"I..uh, I…." Dean stammered, lost in a million different thoughts all at once.

He raised his hand cautiously, still watching Cas closely, and pointed slowly to the door on his right.

His voice came out hoarse and shaky, "I'm just…I'm gonna go now. G'night."

Castiel's mouth opened, as if he was going to say something, but Dean had already thrown open the door and fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: BOOM!
> 
> Next up: Sam hovers (Again. It's like a part-time job for the dude.)
> 
> Gabriel goes Indiana Jones to get his pineapple tarts back.
> 
> A gun. Like, a Big One.
> 
> Dean is just too fucking adorable.


	19. Busting Out The Big Guns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Fifty-one Kudos in just five days! That's exciting!
> 
> I really appreciate everyone taking the time to send a Kudos or write me a comment! It's great to know you are all liking the story so far.

Castiel stared blankly at the door.

Dean was gone.

He tried to make sense of everything. It had all happened so quickly.

Dean had come over to bring him some food. Then Castiel had become distracted. Next thing he knew, he heard the low rumble of an erotic groan come from Dean. Then Dean was pulling him into a kiss and it was….

Cas couldn't even find the words for how incredibly intoxicating kissing Dean had been. It was everything he imagined, but so much more…intense.

And Dean had initiated it.

Dean- who was supposed to be straight.

Dean- who had done wonderful things to Castiel's mouth and lips.

Castiel had felt the exact moment when his restraint snapped and he lost his tenuous control. He had to have more. He couldn't hold back, not under those circumstances. Not when Dean was right there, willing and wanting to be kissed back.

Who cared why Dean was kissing him?

Who cared that he was straight?

Who cared that they had skipped a few steps somewhere?

Not Castiel.

All that mattered in that moment was that he wasn't dreaming, and that it was happening. He had Dean in his arms.

He had felt Dean's obvious arousal against his leg. He had put pressure against it, evoking delicious gasps from the man.

He could taste Dean.

He could touch him.

Dean was his.

Then Dean had pulled away, and Castiel had been so hungry for more. He had needed Dean's lips back on his. Needed to hear more desperate sounds...

Castiel walked to his sofa and collapsed into it, throwing his arms over his face.

He had shocked Dean. He had gone too fast. Pushed too hard, too soon.

Castiel cursed himself furiously. He should've been thinking more clearly-! He should've gone slow, and let Dean move at his own pace!

Instead, he had practically turned a relatively chaste kiss into a- a hostage situation.

Dean was straight, or at least he had been. After this Castiel wasn't sure what Dean's feelings were.

He had left. More like bolted...

Was he ashamed of kissing him...?

Was he put off by Castiel's over-zealous response...?

Shit... What did all of this mean?

…-^o^-…

Dean wasn't sure what he was feeling.

Well, he new what the predominant feeling was. Horny.

Impossibly-fucking-horny.

Hell, he couldn't even drive straight, he was so hard...

Ten minutes down the road from Castiel's apartment, Dean pulled the impala off to the side, out of sight. He turned the radio off and sat still in the silence of the night. The only noise was the distant sound of the occasional vehicle passing by distantly on the road.

The sound of his heavy breathing filled the car. He could feel his heart beating fast in his chest.

Doing a quick full-sweep of his surroundings and confirming that he was safely away from prying eyes, Dean let his hands drop from the steering wheel to his lap. With a quick flip of his fingers, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans.

He sighed gratefully as his member sprung out of the confines into the cool air.

He gripped himself and began languidly stroking, leaning his head back against the headrest.

The memory of Castiel's flushed face appeared in his mind. The look of barely restrained want as he gazed at Dean was like nothing he had ever imagined. He had been everywhere, pressing into Dean's personal space, his body radiating with a searing heat and anchoring Dean to the counter possessively.

Dean allowed one hand to travel the path that Castiel's had taken, burning its way across the flesh beneath his shirt to brush teasingly over a nipple. He moaned as his strokes became faster.

God, Cas had looked so fucking sexy and wrecked. He was like a different person from the restrained and thoughtful looking man Dean thought he knew.

Was that what Cas was like every time he had sex?

How the hell did he hide that side of him beneath that boring business suit?

His breathing had become haggard and he knew he was close. Dean fumbled for the glovebox, grabbing up some loose napkins just in time as his climax overtook him. He kept the picture of Castiel's swollen lips and lust-blown eyes as he rode it out.

He gasped for air several moments later as his body quaked with lingering shudders.

He was supposed to try and flirt...

Let Cas know that he was interested, and see if he was, too.

Dean grinned to himself as his breathing slowed down to a normal rate.

Well, he couldn't have been much clearer that he was interested in Cas.

And Cas sure didn't seem opposed to the idea, Dean added with a tired chuckle.

Now they just needed take a step back and start correctly, at the beginning. He didn't want Cas to think that they were moving too fast. Hell, they had just met last week. Dean wanted to get to know him better. There was still so much of Cas that was a mystery.

They needed a first date.

…-^o^-…

Sam was literally standing right inside the entryway of their house when Dean stepped inside.

Dean had expected him to already be asleep, so when he turned around from shutting the door gently, he jumped in surprise, cursing loudly.

"HOLYSHIT-! Sam!? What the fuck, dude?" He tried to catch his breath and recover his dignity.

"Hey, uh, didn't mean to scare you. I was just...worried about you."

"Shit, Sam. I'm older than you AND a grown ass adult. Why the hell are acting like I'm a fuckin' teenager staying out past curfew?" Sam stepped aside as Dean moved past him, taking off his coat.

"Well, no, you're right. It's just that I, uh, ran into Pamela. And she seemed…upset." He watched Dean cringe.

"Oh. Damn…I almost forgot about that." He suddenly frowned and glanced over at Sam. "What, uh, what did she say to you?"

Sam shrugged his massive shoulders and tried not to meet Dean's eye. "You know, just that she was worried about you. Um, she kinda mentioned...well, I'm not really sure-"

"God, Sam. You know what-" Dean ran his fingers over his face in agitation, "I already know what she said, and just, you- you don't need to worry about it. Alright? I'm…I'm good." Dean gave Sam a quick thumbs up to indicate everything was fine and could they please- for the love of God- not say it out loud.

Sam nodded, arms crossing his chest as he shifted his feet nervously. "Yeah. Okay. That's good. Great!" He paused, then mumbled, "So, it's…ALL good, you know, for you?" He gave a brief head nod in the direction of his brother's crotch.

"Oh, God, Sammy-! Yes, for fuck's sake! I'm fine. I'm not- Everything works fine. I'm not- not impotent, I'm-" Dean slammed his mouth shut, almost accidentally telling his brother that he was gay. Even that didn't seem like it would be true. Technically, he figured he was only 'gay' for Cas. Was that still counted as being gay?

He fumbled with his wording and finished, "I'm just not into Pamela anymore, okay? Geez!"

He made it into his room, shutting the door firmly before Sam could ask about the state of his manhood again.

Fuck, that was close. Dean wasn't quite ready to let Sam in on his relationship with Cas. Sure, he had said he was open to it. But, knowing his brother, there would probably be lengthy discussions and a million uncomfortable questions.

…-^o^-…

The basement level window was tricky to get through, even for someone Gabriel's size. And when he finally wiggled is body in, the drop on the other side turned out to be a good two meters onto old cardboard boxes.

He landed heavily, his weight crushing the boxes' contents loudly.

He stilled, waiting and listening for the sounds of movements in the house above.

Nothing.

Rolling himself to his feet in the darkness, he pulled his small flashlight keychain out. It lit up a beam of light in the stirred dust. He saw the staircase and made for it, stepping as carefully as possible around the old items stacked on the floor.

When he made it up the creaking stairs and tested the door knob, he grinned widely. Unlocked. This was going to be easier than he could've hoped.

The door opened up into the kitchen area where the streetlights shone in from outside, lighting up the small room. Gabriel crossed quietly and began his search. The first few cabinets turned up only dish ware, cups and glasses. He shut each one with great care before moving to the next. He made it to the refrigerator, intending to pass right by, when a series of photos held up by magnets caught his attention.

He shone his flashlight across them, pausing with a bright smile.

In the photos, Ruby was wearing various military outfits and posing next to others wearing the same. She was smiling brightly in all of them.

He had known of Ruby's past in the Marines. She had spent almost twelve years serving in the military before she began working at the ADA offices. He attributed most of her militant traits to her training and experiences.

She looked happy in the pictures...

He wondered briefly if she was as happy working at ADA.

She never smiled like that around him. In fact, aside from his most exceptional jabs at Crowley during meetings, he hadn't ever really seen her smile, at all. The glowing blond woman in the pictures was in her element, clearly doing what she loved. It was a side of her Gabriel may never know. His heart gave a strange squeeze.

Reaching out, he pulled off one of the pictures. It was a close-up of her smiling as she sat leaning against a wall wearing green camouflage , her rifle strapped across her chest and resting in her lap.

He slipped the photo into his pocket with a small smile and turned to continue his search.

He made it to the end of the rows of cabinets, checking every one, and even climbing to stand on the counters to search those at of his reach.

Not a single tart in sight.

Where the hell could she have stashed them? He had already searched their offices from top to bottom and come up with no trace of his tarts. They had to be here somewhere. He turned from the cabinets, shining his light over the rest of the room. It stopped on a door right beside the basement stairs he had entered through.

A pantry? He smiled wickedly as he crossed to it. You're good, Ruby... but I'm better.

He pulled on the handle excitedly.

"Hands in the air or I'll put a hole in you, motherfucker!" Gabriel jumped in shock at the loud order that rang out from behind him, hands flying off the door handle into the air above his head.

The lights flashed on, and Gabriel winced at the brightness. There was a few seconds of still silence before Ruby's incredulous voice filled it.

"No. Fucking. Way. Gabriel?! You CANNOT be serious! I almost SHOT you, you stupid son of a bitch!" Her voice was etched with a hint of real panic.

Gabriel heaved a slow sigh of relief, keeping his hands outstretched as he slowly turned to face her guiltily. "Hey, Rube. Haha. Just, uh, thought I'd drop- HOLY FUCK!" His wide eyes landed on the twelve-gauge shotgun she held, still pointing in his direction. "Wh-what in the hell were you going to do with THAT?! Topple a small government?"

She recovered from her surprise quickly and growled back, "I was going to use it on the dumb motherfucker breaking into my house."

"A shotgun!? Most people have small pistols or baseball bats for that sort of thing!"

Ruby's face showed the first signs of an embarrassed flush, "Well, I have a damn shotgun! No one limps away after being shot by one of these. It's way safer."

"Not for the poor bastards on the receiving end! My God- could you point that thing somewhere else!?"

Ruby seemed to realize at that moment that the gun was still aimed at his chest. She brought it down slowly, her face reddening more. She ground out, "What in the hell are you doing in my kitchen, Mr. Novak?"

Gabriel managed a toothy smile, his heart still pounding loudly, "I was 'Gabriel' just a minute ago." Ruby made to point the gun back up at him, annoyance flashing across her face. "Whoa! Whoa, now. Mr. Novak's good. I'm fine with it, really. Geez. I was looking for my damn tarts, okay?"

The red and blue lights flashing from outside signaled that the police had shown up.

Ruby let out a frustrated sigh, "You broke into my house and almost got your ass killed over 'tarts'? They were good, but definitely not worth risking your life for, you moron!"

Gabriel's face was priceless. "You…you ATE some? How many? Please tell me you didn't eat them all...?"

Ruby's face went blank, but Gabriel saw her eyes dart quickly to the trash can, then back to his worriedly.

He flew over to the trash can and threw the lid off. Slowly he lifted one of several empty boxes out and stared at it. Then he turned back to Ruby, his mouth opening and closing helplessly.

A loud knock and shout of 'Police!' came from the direction of the front door.

Ruby ignored them, her eyes locked onto Gabriel's, and she stuttered quietly, "I…I was only going to try one. You made it sound like they were so good, I thought…I thought I would just have one, just to see…."

Gabriel looked back down at the boxes and slowly back up to her."…Oh, you are gonna owe me-big time for this, Rube." He was having a difficult time staying upset, despite himself. She looked absolutely incredible standing there, trying to find the words to explain herself. Barely dressed. Holding a huge gun.

Totally. Worth. It.

Ruby shifted nervously. "I'm…I'm sorry, okay? I just blacked out and they were all gone when I came to! It was like I was possessed or something." The knocking continued louder. "I, um, I need to get the door." She sat the shotgun on the counter and turned to go to the door.

"Wh-? Wait! HEY!" Gabriel shouted immediately, his voice panicked. Ruby turned to him, alarmed. "For God sake- don't answer the door dressed like THAT! Throw on a robe, or five!"

Ruby's eyes snapped down. She was wearing her normal sleepware for summer, namely a small tank top with no bra and a pair of bright red cotton boyshorts.

Her huge eyes flew back up to meet Gabriel's and her face turned red enough to match her drawers.

Gabriel tried to force down a chuckle, and winked at her, "I'll get the door, huh?"

Ruby bolted from where she had been frozen to the spot, and Gabriel heard the sound of feet rapidly flying up stairs.

He walked to the front door and opened it, grinning ear to ear.

"Good morning, boys. Haven't seen you guys in a few days, huh?"

…-^o^-…

"He's out there again. Just sitting in the rain. God, it's so sad." Tessa frowned as she stared out the diner window to the hunched form of the elderly man sitting alone on the bench outside the city cemetery. "I asked Joel at the motel about him. He says the guy pays everyday in cash. And he has practically no belongings. He barely even has any groceries- the maid was saying he keeps the fridge almost empty. And his trash is just empty packets of cigarettes."

"That doesn't make him your problem, Tess." Sheriff Henricksen called from his seat, where he was reading the paper." He cast a quick look out the window. "Probably just a hobo passing through. He'll clear out in a few days."

Tessa frowned. "I don't think so. I think he has someone buried in the cemetery. I've seen him coming in and out." She turned and called out to her boss behind the counter. "Hey, Chuck? Can I bring him in here? The poor guy is going to get sick if he stays sitting out there in the rain. I'll pay for something to eat for him."

Henricksen sighed heavily.

From the back, Chuck's head appeared. "What? Are you talking about the old man again?"

"She wants to adopt him, I think." Henricksen murmured from his seat. The dark haired waitress threw and annoyed look at him.

Chuck ignored him and turned to Tessa with a small, half-smile. "Yeah, go ahead and pull him in, Tess. I'll set him up with a hot meal. It's fine."

Tessa beamed at him and ran to pull on her jacket.

"Could be making trouble for yourself, there, Chuck. Who knows what that guy's story is? Probably a drunk." He realized who he was talking to and cringed apologetically. "Sorry. Didn't mean it like that."

Chuck gave him a small smile, shrugging. "Don't worry. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom so you have no where else to go but up. Give the old guy a break, huh, Frank?"

Hendricksen huffed a sigh, but nodded.

…-^o^-…

Dean snuck away from the garage at around nine o'clock that morning, ducking into the car lot behind it so he couldn't be overheard.

He pulled his phone out and stared at it, hands jittery.

God, why was this so hard? How many times had he done this kind of thing? Hundreds? But every time he prepared to make the call, his throat seemed to close up and choke him. What was the worst that could happen? He already knew that Cas liked him. That was supposed to be the hardest part. So, what was the big deal?

He shook himself and dialed the number.

…-^o^-…

Castiel was a bag of raw nerves. He had drank two cups of coffee already this morning, and was working on his third.

Lack of sleep was hardly his biggest problem.

He couldn't stop thinking about Dean and last night.

What did it mean?

Where did they stand now?

Was Dean at work right now, regretting his actions and dreading seeing Castiel again?

Should Castiel not go to the concert? Did Dean even want him there anymore?

Castiel hadn't tasted alcohol on Dean's breath last night. Just the smoky taste of coffee. He looked down at his cup. The scent and taste was reminding him of Dean's kiss.

His cell phone began ringing, jerking his gaze from the coffee cup.

He picked the phone up and felt a wave of panic crash through his entire body.

The caller ID said 'Dean'.

Dean was calling him.

Oh, God. Was he going to say he was sorry for last night? That it was a mistake? He doesn't know what happened? That they should probably never see each other again?

Castiel gasped for breaths before bringing the phone to his ear, hand trembling.

"Hello?"

'Hey Cas. I'm, uh, sorry to call you at work.'

"No, it's fine. Um, what did you need, Dean?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Finally, Dean's voice came across shakily. 'I wanted to, um, apologize for last night, first.'

Castiel felt his world start crashing in on him. So, Dean did regret kissing him, just like he thought. There was a roaring in his ears as he tried to breath.

'And, I was hoping, you know, if you were interested. Um, maybe we could go out today. Like, well, on an actual…date.' His voice cracked, and there was silence on the line.

"...what?" Castiel had barely understood what Dean was saying over his own distressed thoughts. Had Dean really just asked him on a 'date'? It was impossible, right?

'Yeah, well, you know. I, uh, I know I kinda jumped the gun a little last night.' Castiel heard him give a hesitant chuckle into the phone before pushing on, 'I was really just hoping that, maybe, you and I could try it over, the right way. I- I really am sorry about last night. I don't want you to think I do that kind of thing all the time. I just…like you…a lot.'

There was more silence on the line as Castiel looked around his office. He needed some kind of reality check. Anything to let him know that he really was awake. Did Dean just confess to him?

'Shit, Cas…you gotta help me out here. I-I need you to say something….' He sounded desperate, his voice strained.

"You want to go on a date? With me?" Castiel was still trying to keep up with the conversation. Had he really heard it right?

He heard Dean's breathy laugh. 'Yeah, Cas- with you.'

"I…I would like that. Very much." He added.

'Great! I'll, um, pick you up this evening. Six o'clock? Dress casual, okay?' Dean's voice sounded excited. Castiel could imagine the warm smile painted across his face.

"Ok, Dean. I'll... see you tonight. For our…date."

'Yeah! Alright. Um, great! Thanks, Cas!'

Castiel sat in silent shock after the call ended, replaying it in his mind.

Dean wanted to go on a date with him.

He was…upset…that he had kissed Castiel before they could go on a date first.

He was actually sorry about skipping straight to first base. Then, Castiel had practically carried them both sprinting past second heading to third.

And it 'bothered' Dean. Dean wanted to go on a legitimate date.

Castiel had no idea how to handle the man. Almost all of Castiel's previous boyfriends had considered dating as the unfortunate requirement that had to take place before they could move on to the good stuff. The goal had been sex from the get-go. Castiel had always accepted it as the norm...

What kind of person got upset about kissing too soon, then excited about going on a date...?

Dean was going to drive Castiel out of his mind if he kept being this perfect.

...-^o^-...

Mary: What's up with the radio silence? Having trouble finding proof, huh? : )

Ellen: Har har. We'll see who's laughing in the end.

Mary: John wants to raise the bet to $500. Says you're full of $#!&. : D

Ellen: Deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: A first date!
> 
> Burgers (because Dean really liked watching Cas eat the first one).
> 
> Family grievances.
> 
> Ultimate Frisbee.
> 
> Russians, debts, and an embarrassing video of Castiel on Gabriel's phone.


	20. Playing Dirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are going to be getting longer from here on out. As always- thanks for all the support!

Castiel spent the rest of the day in a happy daze, which was unfortunately interrupted by frequent panic attacks.

What was Dean's plan for the date? Were they going to be eating a large dinner or just snacking? What was the weather going to be like? Were they going to be outside much anyway?

At lunch he had rushed home, tearing his bedroom apart as Lucifer watched from atop the bed.

He needed something casual to wear. Dean had specifically said 'casual'. Most of Castiel's wardrobe consisted of suits and ties. The small portion that was considered casual had been his older clothing, from his college days. The outfit he had worn to the Tuesday meet-up had been his best option, but he didn't want to wear it again...

Plus, Dean hadn't said what they would be doing this evening. Would a band T-shirt even be appropriate?

What was Dean's idea of casual, anyway? A T-shirt and shorts with flip-flops? Or a collared shirt and slacks?

He had finally selected a dark-red shirt with a simple white and blue plaid button down shirt. If he turned out to be under dressed for where Dean was taking them, he could at least button the shirt up. He matched it with light-blue jeans and a pair of dark brown oxfords. There really weren't many other options available in his limited wardrobe.

He was tempted to try the entire outfit on and send the picture to Charlie for approval again, but he was concerned that she would ask him too many questions. Castiel could hardly process that he was asked out by Dean, much less tell someone else without stuttering. Plus, he had used up his lunch break just trying to find the right clothes.

He raced back to work with just a bit more peace of mind. At least his outfit was decided upon.

…-^o^-…

Castiel was interrupted from his bouts of panic by his older brother.

Gabriel's arrival was noted immediately by Castiel. He had been worriedly monitoring the phones on his desk and Charlie's as inconspicuously as possible, heart stopping each time they rang. An order for another Think Tank could de-rail the evening. Similiarly, the ding of the elevator arriving could also be the harbinger of last-minute work.

Castiel found himself sitting on the edge of his office chair, ears tuned to all sound coming through the partially cracked door to his office.

At the sound of Gabriel's voice, Castiel's mind suddenly began racing.

If Gabe found out about the date, then he was sure to start back up on his match-making schemes. Castiel was impressed that the 'tart plan' had managed to successfully dissuade his brother so far. His luck couldn't hold out much longer.

He barely had time to collect his thoughts before Gabriel was pushing through his door. He had a sucker sticking out of his grinning mouth as he made his way to the chairs and kicked his feet up.

"What's the plan for tonight, baby bro?"

Castiel immediately locked-up with shock.

Did Gabriel somehow know about the date? How could he have possibly heard already? Phone taps? It wouldn't be the first time, actually. Castiel's eyes swept to the phone nervously before turning up to Gabriel. He asked as innocently as possible, "Tonight?"

Gabriel pulled his sucker out and swung it for emphasis as he spoke, "Yeah, Cassie, tonight. Were you planning to hang out with your new friends again? Maybe gaze longingly at a certain green-eyed man's tush?"

"Gabriel…." Castiel practically growled the warning.

"Now don't act like that! I'm just wondering what your schedule is like, not trying to stick my nose into your Soap Opera love life, again. Honest." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Castiel.

"My 'schedule' is none of your concern, Gabriel. And there is no Soap Opera between me and Dean. I happen to be taking Lucifer in to the Rescue this evening for…de-worming and…cat training."

Gabriel's face scrunched up in confusion as he looked at his little brother. "Wait. You mean you still have that little fuzzball? I thought you took it in to get adopted last Saturday? And you named it 'Lucifer'? Why...?"

Castiel sighed in annoyance and turned to his computer to feign working, "It's not that unusual of a name. Both you and I are named after angels. Lucifer is an angel, too."

Gabriel snorted a laugh. "I don't remember our name-sakes falling from heaven after attempting to screw over the human race, Cassie."

"Well, I like it. And to answer your other question, the adoption process is harder than I expected. He's, uh, not really got much going for him, you know?"

Gabriel eyed his brother suspiciously, groaning loudly, "Oh, no, Cassie. Please tell me you're not getting attached to it?"

"HIS name is Lucifer, and I'm not getting attached. I just… I'm responsible for him. I want him to find a good home." Castiel refused to look at his brother as he mumbled the last sentence.

At least Gabe hadn't questioned his plans for this evening. Hopefully his little lie would keep Gabriel off his back for a bit longer. Just long enough for Castiel to sort out what exactly he and Dean had together.

Gabriel sighed tiredly, leaning almost completely backwards over the arm of the chair, his hair grazing the floor. "Whatever, Cassie. You go do your 'cat thing' tonight, then. I'm not really up for a wild party anyway. I barely slept yesterday, as it was."

Castiel frowned as he watched Gabriel swing up tiredly. "I hope you didn't get up to anything that involved the local police again. You know, even they have their limits. And it wouldn't be smart for your mugshot to end up on the front page of the local paper. The board is already pretty fed up with your antics."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, smiling. "I'll have you know, baby bro, that I spent the wee hours of the morning in the company of a beautiful, barely-dressed blond-"

"No! I absolutely do NOT want to hear about your sex-life, Gabriel." Castiel cringed at just the mention of his brother and sex in the same sentence.

Gabriel chuckled to himself, and rolled out of the chair. "Well, in that case, I'll just mosey back upstairs and find Ruby. She's been giving me the royal treatment all day. I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth."

He paused at the door, as if just remembering something. "Oh! We're still going to the concert tomorrow evening, right?"

Castiel barely gave him a nod, not looking up from his computer screen.

He missed Gabriel's broad grin, and the wink he threw to the secretaries as he shut the door to Castiel's office.

…-^o^-…

Castiel was making a special effort to tame his wild hair with gel when he heard the doorbell.

He had been expecting the sound at any time now, but he still almost choked in surprise.

He took a deep, steadying breath as he went to answer it.

Dean smiled at him nervously as the door swung open.

"Hey, Cas."

Castiel stood awkwardly at the door, trying not to fidget as he smiled nervously back at the man.

"Hello, Dean."

They stood there, facing each other with flushed faces like embarrassed teenagers for several seconds, before Castiel realized he was being rude, again. "Oh. You can come in. I'm just about ready." He moved from the door and watched as Dean passed by him.

Dean was wearing a pair of nice blue jeans and a green shirt, with a brown jacket over it. Castiel felt the familiar heat of attraction in his gut. It seemed like Dean could make any outfit he wore look incredible. Castiel couldn't help but wonder how fantastic he would look wearing nothing.

He shook himself from his quickly gutter-bound thoughts as Dean turned to face him. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled something out.

Castiel stared at the item. It looked like a strange plush character, shaped like a yellow pill and wearing some sort of blue coverall outfit.

Dean chuckled. "It's, uh, for Lucifer. It's called a minion. It's from a kid's movie. I figured Lucifer should have a 'minion', because, well, Lord Satan and all that…." Dean's face was growing red as fumbled with the toy, then just held it out to Castiel.

Castiel smiled as he looked at the plushie. "That's very considerate of you, Dean. I'm sure Lucifer will love it." He moved to where Lucifer was crouched under the entertainment system, eying Dean warily. "I think he's still a little shy around you. Sorry." He sat the plushie down near the cat.

Dean smiled and shrugged. "No worries. I'm sure we'll get to be good friends again in no time."

Castiel flushed at the meaning behind Dean's words.

Dean was expecting to be spending more time around Castiel. In his apartment...

Castiel finally looked over to Dean and froze when he realized Dean's eyes were locked on him. Castiel had the uncontrollable urge to lick his lips, just to see Dean's reaction.

Dean pried his eyes up to meet Castiel's. "Cas, I, uh-" His voice cracked and he cleared it and tried again. "I think we should limit this date to, you know, just a few light kisses. I-I don't want to…get distracted, like last night." His face turned more red at the mention of the abrupt kiss, and his eyes glanced to the breakfast bar guiltily.

Castiel nodded. "That would probably be best. We can just get to know each other and talk tonight. Let me put my shoes on and we can head out." Castiel smiled encouragingly at Dean.

Once Castiel put on his shoes and set food out for Lucifer, they headed down to the street, where Dean led them over to a black Chevrolet. Castiel stopped and stared at it. Dean noticed Cas wasn't moving and cast a glance over at him.

"You good, Cas?"

Castiel looked from Dean to the car with a growing smile. "Yeah. I was just thinking, your car really suits you. An Impala, huh?" His voice sounded impressed.

Dean beamed back, "Yep. Used to be my Dad's. Nineteen sixty-seven. Still runs like a dream." He continued forward, opening the passenger side door, and turned to allow Cas to get in.

Castiel blinked in surprise.

It took Dean a few seconds before he realized why Cas was staring. "Oh. Shit, sorry." He pulled his hand off the door handle quickly. "I, uh, I didn't mean to, you know, treat you like a…." He trailed off.

They stared at each other in yet another extended silence before they both suddenly erupted into giddy chuckles.

"I'm sorry, Cas. I guess I really have no idea how to do this, you know?"

Castiel gave him a warm smile as he moved past Dean to seat himself in the passenger seat. "Don't be sorry, Dean. You're doing great. I'm just…impressed by your manners." He saw Dean flush beautifully as he hurried around the car and jumped into the driver's seat.

As soon as he turned the car on, the radio cut on, blaring out music loudly. Dean flinched and his hands flew over to the knobs, trying to turn the volume down. He cast a panicked glance to Cas, and saw that the man was trying not to laugh.

Dean coughed to cover his embarrassment. "So, uh, yeah. I figured we could get some food for starters. I know a place that I think you'll really like."

…-^o^-…

At first glance, the small diner on the city square looked run down. There seemed to be a lot of people standing outside, too. It wasn't until Dean led Castiel inside that he noticed how packed the small establishment actually was.

Castiel saw Dean give a quick wave over the crowd to a heavy-set woman at the register. She smiled broadly and shouted out to a thin, pretty waitress. The young woman turned, and her eyes lit up when she spotted Dean at the door. She finished taking her table's order, then rushed over excitedly.

"Dean! How have you been? I've got you a table reserved at the back, like you asked. It's a good thing you called ahead." She ushered the two men over to a corner booth with windows facing out to the edge of the city park.

Dean slid in on one side and Castiel took the seat across from him. The waitress gave Castiel a quick, curious glance before turning her attention back to Dean.

"I wish we weren't so busy. I'd love to catch up with you sometime, Dean." She gave him a smile and a wink.

Dean grinned back, casting a quick glance at Castiel, before stating, "Yeah, maybe another time Christine. How about you just set us up with two T-Rex Combos. I'll have a soda to drink." He handed her his menu.

The waitress looked a little put-out by Dean's lack of interest, but she recovered quickly by turning her charms to Castiel. "And how about you, handsome? What'll you have to drink?"

Castiel, who had been fighting back a spark of jealousy over the waitress's familiarity with Dean, watched with a small amount of amusement as Dean's mouth twitched into a frown at the word 'handsome'. "I'll have an Ice Tea with lemon, Christine. Thank you."

"No problem, hon." She took the menu from Castiel's hand slowly, not breaking eye-contact, then sauntered off.

"I'm gonna guess…old girlfriend?" Castiel muttered thoughtfully, turning a small smirk to Dean.

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat, then said apologetically, "Practically pre-historic. You know how it is, um, small town, everybody knows everybody. We really weren't serious, just a high school thing."

"I understand, Dean. Be thankful you don't have to run into any of my ex's around here. If you think she comes on strong, you'd be shocked…."

Dean released a grateful sigh. "Thanks, Cas." He fiddled with his silverware for a moment before starting, "So, um, I guess this is our opportunity to talk about embarrassing ex's and weird brothers, and all that."

"Yeah, I guess so. Where do you think we should begin?"

"Well, you've met Sam. He's pretty straightforward. Total nerd. He's going to school to study law and criminal justice. I'm actually, uh, pretty proud of him, you know. I didn't really have the brains for that kind of stuff, that's why I work on cars mostly."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Do you enjoy working on cars?"

Christine appeared again, setting their drinks down in front of them and leaning close to Castiel. "Did you want anything else, sweetie? Maybe some sugar packets or Splenda?"

"He's good, Christine. Thanks." Dean stated stiffly from across the table. The waitress gave him a quick pout and pointed look, which Dean returned, tilting his head and eyes toward kitchen indicating for her to get back to work. She rolled her eyes, and huffed as she left again.

Dean saw Castiel's upraised eyebrows and just smiled and shrugged helplessly. "Anyway, yeah, I love working on cars. I actually earned an associates in car mechanics, plus I have my ASE certification. It's just, you know, not easy for me to do school work so I haven't tried for much else." It sounded like a poor excuse, Dean knew. "What about you? You must have spent years in college, huh?"

Castiel frowned slightly, and shifted in is seat. "Well, yes. I attended Berkeley in California. I did okay, I guess, but to be honest, uh, there was a LOT of partying happening while I was there." He glanced nervously up at Dean, and saw that he was gaping at him.

"Hold it. Wait. Are you telling me YOU partied hard in college? At a business school?"

Castiel gave him an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, I guess I did. To be fair, I was dragged around by my friend, Balthazar, mostly. He's, uh, very…wild. Kind of…shameless and opulent. He and Gabriel have to be kept in separate states-it's practically a federal law. All I did was follow along with him, but it got pretty crazy sometimes."

Dean couldn't help but grin as Castiel reminisced. Then, his mind sputtered out an unwelcome question, and he didn't quite catch his mouth in time to stop it. "Was he one of your ex's?" Dean grimaced as soon as the words left his mouth.

Castiel met Dean's eye and admitted, "Yes, I suppose. We had a few flings back in college. We, uh, would NEVER have worked out together, though. He's my best friend, still, but…well, he's just too much. Small doses of his personality is all I can really handle, you know?" He hoped that he conveyed his feelings well enough for Dean to understand that there was no real threat from Balthazar. He watched as Dean processed the information slowly, then nodded.

"Alright. Yeah, I mean, I've got a few friends like that, too. Not bad people, just…uh, not really right for me. I get it." He smiled as he thought of Pamela, and several others. "I even had one chick go 'Carrie Underwood' on the Impala." He cringed, remembering that incident..

Castiel was giving him a strange look and tilting his head. "I don't understand that reference."

"Carrie Underwood? You know, the song 'Before He Cheats'? Oh, man. It's intense. And I didn't even cheat on her! I mean, she just had a very 'loose' definition of cheating. She used a tire iron to smash my baby up. Me, Benny and my dad actually caught her half-way through it, but no way we were getting near her, man! She was seven shades of pissed. The police had the get her with OC spray and tackle her to the ground. It took six of them…." Dean shuddered as Castiel chuckled across from him.

The way the sun was shining in through the window was catching Castiel's eyes perfectly, lighting them up like they were glowing blue. Dean felt the tightening in his chest as he watched Castiel's eyes crinkle shut in amusement.

Everything about Castiel was perfect. His deep, raspy chuckles. His calm, reflective demeanor. His sense of humor. And, of course, his perfectly chiseled features. He had an appearance that demanded respect and exuded authority, but his personality was humble and friendly.

Dean flashed to their kiss the previous night.

His personality apparently had a few hidden aspects tucked away, too.

God, to unlock that side of Cas….

To draw out that side of him again….

"…Dean?" Dean shook himself, his eyes locking onto Castiel's. He saw a sharpness in them, and maybe…a hint of the desire like last night.

Castiel leaned forward carefully, not breaking their eye contact as he warned lowly, "If you keep looking at me like that, I wont be able to stick to your 'light-kissing only' rule."

Dean was only shocked for a moment, before returning, "Damn it, Cas. Don't you try and threaten me with a good time." He winked and grinned widely, and it was Castiel's turn to gape, speechless.

They stared at each other, their eyes locked together-heat practically sizzling between them.

They were interrupted as Christine arrived with their food."Alright-here we are!" Dean watched in amusement as Castiel's eyes landed on their matching plates with something close to shock and awe. As the waitress hurried away, Dean gave Cas a toothy grin.

"Yep, the T-Rex burger. King of all burger patties. Just wait until you try it."

Castiel couldn't imagine where to begin. The burger was enormous, stacked too high to possibly eat by the mouthful. But, god, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His eyes moved past the massive burger and fell on Dean's bright, smiling face watching him eagerly.

Scratch that -second most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"I, uh, felt pretty bad about the burger last night. Gotta hand it to Lucifer, though. He didn't waste any time taking advantage of our, uh, pre-occupation…." Dean flushed, grinning.

Castiel grinned back, also remembering. "I appreciate the thoughtfulness, Dean. Now, how do you eat this thing?"

They spent the next thirty minutes trying to make headway on their burgers, barely speaking and mostly making appreciative grunting and groaning noises. Finally, Dean tapped the edge of the table to signify 'tapping out' as he finished chewing his mouthful tiredly. Castiel tried to push on, fully enjoying the taste, but worried about his stomach's capacity to hold much more food. He finally threw his knife and fork down in defeat five minutes after Dean.

They both leaned back in their seats, breathing heavily.

"That…that was the most amazing burger, I have ever had. Ever." Castiel moaned.

Dean chuckled across from him. "I thought you'd like it."

Christine suddenly appeared at the table, smiling as she took in their worn out faces. She turned to Dean, and asked, "Whatd'ya say, Dean. Gonna go for a slice of apple pie today?"

Dean groaned and answered without even opening his eyes, "There is always room for pie, Chris. Two of 'em. In to-go boxes, please."

Castiel chuckled, as the waitress shook her head, smiling as she ducked away again.

"Pie, huh?" Castiel smiled as he forced himself to sit up straight. Dean grinned at him, pulling himself up, too.

"Hell, yes! Pie is my favorite food group, dude. Cherry pies, pecan pies, rhubarb pies-all of 'em." He sighed happily.

"Hmm. I'll have to remember that." Castiel smiled, muttering thoughtfully.

Dean eyed him warily. "Don't tell me…you know how to make pies, Cas? Like- from fucking SCRATCH?""

Castiel gave him a short nod, smiling. "You didn't think my culinary skills ended with just omelets, did you?"

Dean almost said without thinking, 'God, just marry me now.' But, he caught the words before they left his mouth, realizing how dangerous they could be. If it were any other date, any other person, he could get away with it just sounding like teasing or joking. But, with Cas, Dean wasn't sure he could keep the longing out of his voice. The thought terrified him.

Castiel saw Dean's face abruptly turn serious. "Dean? Are you alright?" He leaned in, tilting his head to the side as he tried to assess Dean's mood.

Dean stared back at him, pulled again into amazement at the man's incredible looks. " Actually, Cas, something's been bothering me."

Castiel frowned, looking intensely at Dean and waiting.

Suddenly, Dean's hands shot out across the table and latched onto Castiel's head, rubbing furiously. Dean pulled away as Castiel was still frozen in shock. "There. Yeah, much better!" Dean grinned proudly at his work.

Castiel lifted his hand up to his hair, feeling the wild mass. All his hard work earlier- wasted.

Somehow, as he looked across at Dean, he couldn't manage to be upset. He recalled Tuesday, at the Road House, when the waitress had commented on his hair and Dean had grabbed his hand as he reached up to fix it.

So, Dean liked his hair out of control? Castiel felt his heart flutter. Dick had hated it. He had fussed every time there was a piece out of place. Castiel had begun to grow self-conscious about it.

Christine appeared at last, setting their two pie boxes on the table along with their table's check. She gave Castiel a wink as she also slid a napkin toward him, then trotted away.

Castiel picked up the napkin and barely had time to register that her phone number was scribbled on it, before Dean snatched it from his hand, crumbling it up in annoyance.

Castiel bit back a chuckle and pulled out his wallet, realizing that Dean was doing the same.

Dean stared at him, looking confused and a little alarmed about how to proceed. "Um, I wanna pay for both of our food, Cas. Since, you know, I asked you out. Is that…okay?"

Castiel frowned, but nodded slowly. "I'll get our next bill, then." Dean's face broke into a relieved smile and he put the money down.

He picked up their pie boxes and they headed out, squeezing through the waiting crowd to emerge on the sunlit sidewalk of the town square.

"I thought it would be fun to grab some coffee and sit by the park. You know, just talk some more. I still have a lot of questions." Dean smiled as he led them to a coffee hut by a fountain. Castiel smiled his approval at the plan.

As they waited in line, they chatted.

"Age?" Dean asked.

"Thirty-one. You?"

"Twenty-nine. Favorite movie?"

Castiel thought hard. "City of Angels, probably. You?"

"Uh…Serenity, Cabin in the Woods, Clue-'

"Dean…." Castiel interrupted.

Dean just shrugged and grinned, "I like movies. All of 'em, pretty much."

Once they had their drinks, which Castiel insisted on paying for, Dean led them down the small pathway through the park and stopped at a bench next to several large fields and a playground.

They sat down, scooting close, but not enough to touch. Dean opened his pie container, smiling, as Castiel sipped his coffee and pretended to watch the people around them.

"So, I've met Gabriel. He's a pretty, uh, unique character. And you told me about your mother passing. What about your dad? Are you two pretty close? I, uh, heard from Sam that he's like, a big deal." Dean asked hesitantly as he took his first bite of pie.

Castiel thought about the question for a moment as he people-watched. "We are...similar in personality, I guess." Dean waited patiently for Cas to continue. "He's kind of…a strange man. You would think that a man who has so much investment in his job and so many responsibilities would have trouble keeping track of his kids' lives. But he didn't."

Dean frowned, thinking. "So, you mean, he checked in on you guys a lot to make sure you were good?"

Castiel shook his head, and turned to Dean, meeting his eyes. "No, I mean he was always there. ALWAYS. He never missed a single school play, graduation, parent/teacher conference. Nothing. He even showed up to sit with us a dental appointments." Castiel smiled gently. "There was one time when I was about eleven. I was at the park with Gabriel, and a coach ran over and asked if he could draft me for a little league game that was going to start soon, because they were short on players. About forty-five minutes in to the game, I went up to bat and looked over to see if Gabriel was watching. My dad was right beside him." Castiel shook his head slowly. "He was supposed to have been in meetings all day. I asked Naomi about it, afterwards. She's his secretary," Castiel explained at Dean's lost look, "She said Gabriel called him and he excused himself from the meeting to drive over."

Dean laughed. "He sounds like an awesome father, Cas."

Castiel nodded, but frowned. "He is, but… he took our mother's passing pretty bad. He's always there, but, it's like there's a part of him that isn't. It's not his fault. Gabriel didn't handle it too well, either. I was still really young, so I barely understood what was happening. They weren't so lucky."

Dean touched Cas's shoulder and asked quietly, "What was it?"

"Cancer. In her lungs. The doctors said second hand smoke wasn't the cause, but our dad never smoked again after that. I think he blamed himself anyway." Castiel stated grimly.

Realizing that Dean was silent beside him, Castiel tried to change the topic. "What about you family?"

Dean shrugged, "It's, uh, kind of embarrassing." He shoved a huge piece of his pie into his mouth, chewing it slowly. Castiel waited patiently until Dean finally swallowed and mumbled, "My parents are…hunters."

Castiel looked at him with interest. "What do they hunt?"

Dean cringed and looked away. "You know, um, deer, bears, crocodiles…the occasional evil spirit…."

He had almost whispered the last part, but Castiel still heard him. "Your parent's hunt... ghosts?" He smiled as Dean's face reddened.

"Yeah, uh, they're kind of," Castiel watched as Dean ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Well, you ever heard of the show 'Breaking Myths'?" Castiel nodded thoughtfully. "Well, they are kind of… on it. Frequently. Well, less frequently now, thank God."

Castiel was grinning as Dean stuffed another large bite of pie into his mouth, chewing ruefully. "That's really amazing, Dean. Your parents are TV stars, then?"

Dean swallowed, eying Cas dubiously, "I guess. I mean, they were pretty normal when me and Sam were growing up. Sure, we took a few more camping trips than most kids, and had more lessons with guns, but otherwise- perfectly normal. Then Sam graduates high school, and I shit you not, the NEXT day they were loading up the camper and saying good-bye. It was insane! Then, I'm watching TV a few months later and what do I see? Dear ol' Mom and Dad on that weird-ass show. They were hunting- get this - a 'basilisk'. Yeah, as in, a mythological snake that turns you to stone. And there's my mom and dad, wading through the marshes of Louisiana while some moron does commentary. My mom- Mary Winchester, who cheered for my team at soccer practice!- threw a knife fifteen meters straight through the skull of a cotton-mouth snake. Do you have any idea how freaked out I-, I mean, Sam was? The poor guy was in shock for weeks! It's just not…healthy." Dean finished, holding his head in his hands.

"Well, I think your parents sound fantastic!" Castiel offered emphatically when Dean finally ended his rant.

Dean looked up and saw Cas smiling at him. He groaned and mumbled, "I'm just glad they settled down finally. They were hunting for the 'Bell Witch' or something and fell in love with Tennessee. They got a cabin out there, so Sam and I moved back into the family house to save money for college bills."

"It sounds like a good deal, then. And, as long as your parents are happy, then I think it's great."

Dean turned to smile at him and their shoulders bumped.

When had they gotten so close to each other? Dean thought. He didn't care, though. Cas's face was close, Dean could smell the coffee from his breath. Caramel latte.

Castiel's eyes were locked onto his, too. They were getting closer. Like they were both being pulled slowly together, leaning toward each other's body heat.

"Dean! Perfect timing, man!" Dean and Castiel both turned guiltily towards the voice.

A man was running from across the large field, waving excitedly.

"Mark? Hey, what's up dude?" Dean was on his feet grasping the man's hand warmly.

"Not much. Been a while, huh? Hey, listen- we could use a few more players for ultimate frisbee. Can I count you guys in?" He gestured across the field to a large area marked off by cones. There was a group of about ten people standing around.

Dean smiled with excitement for a moment, before he suddenly turned nervously to Castiel. "Oh, uh, actually we're kind of-"

"I'm down." Castiel stated, shooting Dean a challenging smirk.

Dean's eyes lit back up even brighter. "You sure? You might get your Oxfords dirty." He teased.

Castiel's smile got bigger and he walked past Mark asking, "We can be on opposite teams, right?" Mark grinned and nodded, following Castiel back to the field.

Dean was left standing alone, with a small knot of dread forming in his stomach.

Castiel had looked…confident.

…-^o^-…

Forty-five minutes later, Dean's team was huddled together, gasping for breath, as they tried to come up with a plan.

"Where the hell did you find that guy, Dean?" One of his teammates asked while wheezing.

"Keep your shit together, Sal, we still have a shot at this!" Dean snapped angrily.

"I don't know, Dean. He's just…he's just so fast. Like a goddamn gazelle!" Dean scowled at Julia, Mark's wife, as she was hunched over in exhaustion.

"How was I supposed to know he was going to be so good at this? Am I damn psychic?" Dean grumbled to the group. He looked across the field, where Castiel was standing, staring smugly across at Dean. Several of his teammates were giving him pats on the back.

"Do you…think we should, maybe, trip him or something?" This came from a shorter man that Dean hadn't met before.

A low growl from Dean shut the stranger up instantly.

"Shit. We have to think of something- preferably NOT something that could cause permanent injury." Sal hissed pointedly at the short man. The rest of the group nodded.

"Your friend must have some kind of weakness, dude." Dean frowned over to Gregg. They had been in several sports together in high school, and were more used to the pressure of tough athletics.

"I don't know, man. I haven't really gotten to know him that well. Hell, I didn't even know he was in such good shape! I just don't-" Dean froze mid-sentence. The rest of the team watched worriedly as an evil looking grin spread across Dean's face.

He slowly stepped back, casting a glance toward where Cas was observing him. Watching carefully, Dean gripped his shirt and pulled it over his head, throwing it off the field.

From across the field, Castiel's smile disappeared immediately and his eyes widened.

Dean grinned and turned back to his confused team members. "I think we're good now. I was getting, uh, overheated."

The next play started with Dean's team catching the frisbee and advancing forward.

Just as Dean had anticipated, Castiel was hardly moving around the field. Instead, the man was barely able to keep his eyes off Dean. Several opportunities to knock the frisbee out of the air were blatantly missed as Castiel's attention was focused completely on Dean.

Dean was gloating to himself, thrilled that his plan had been successful. His team was quickly earning points and catching up to the other team. Castiel was practically dead-weight now.

But, Dean soon realized that his plan had a 'small' hitch.

All the attention that Cas was directing at Dean was causing him to become uncomfortably aroused. With every glance toward toward the man, Dean found himself becoming more and more turned on. The guy was like a blue-eyed laser beam of lust. He stayed locked onto Dean no matter where he went on the field. His eyes had no trace of the former amusement. Instead, they just looked hungry.

Dean began to feel like the game was taking on a more…primal tone. Almost like Dean was being stalked from a distance by a jungle cat.

After a few more points were scored, Dean noticed Castiel runing over to Mark and a second man, who was responsible for covering Dean. He said something to them. Mark looked over at Dean, then to Cas, then back to Dean. His face split into a knowing grin, and he winked and nodded to Cas.

Suddenly, Cas was moving over to take the position of covering Dean.

Oh, fuck.

Fuckity fuck fucking fuck-!

Castiel came to a stop entirely too close to Dean and gave him a devilish smile.

Dean inched nervously away from the unusually cheerful man, swallowing down a knot of nerves.

The play shifted, and Dean began to move forward to give his team an opening. From his side, out of the earshot of anybody else, he heard Cas mutter, "I'm so fucking hard right now."

Dean stopped so suddenly his body almost toppled over from momentum. He knew his mouth was hanging open as he spun around to look at Cas.

"Are you hard, too, Dean?" Castiel grinned and suddenly darted forward, past Dean, and intercepted a throw meant for him.

Dean stared dumbly for several moments as the players ran around him.

Oh, shit. Dean thought to himself, realizing Castiel's game plan.

Castiel returned quickly, as the play moved back towards Dean. As he shot by, Dean tried to get his mind back in the game. He followed Castiel as they sprinted to the end of the field and prepared for a throw their way.

Dean waited nervously, dreading more words from Cas. Sure enough-

"I bet if I tackle you, I could cop a feel without anyone even seeing it." Castiel suggested thoughtfully.

Dean inhaled deeply, the tightening in his pants almost doubling him over. "Nnnnm." Dean groaned, then grit out accusingly, "You play dirty, Cas!"

"Says the guy with no shirt," Cas returned lowly, grinning.

Dean grumbled, "Maybe I was just hot. Ever think of that?"

Castiel practically purred, "Oh, yeah. I can confirm that. Very hot…." His eyes wandered down Dean's chest to the the small patch of hair leading into his pants.

Dean cursed thickly, but Cas was already darting away, catching the frisbee as it entered the end zone, earning another point for their team.

The teams went back to their starting positions, and began again. This time Dean was waiting anxiously for Cas to arrive. As much of a huge turn on as this was, Dean was positive that he wouldn't last much longer. He had to end this before it got too out of hand.

The man jogged over smirking as his low voice rumbled with false concern, "You look a little pale there, Winchester. Feeling okay?"

"I think we had a minor misunderstanding, Cas." Dean tried not to sound as desperate as he was, "How about we just play the rest of the game in silence, huh?"

"How about you put your shirt back on." Castiel suggested, raising his eyebrow.

Dean grumbled, but conceded out of pure desperation. He quickly checked where the frisbee was and jogged over to snatch his shirt up from the sideline. He could sense Castiel shadowing him closely as he moved.

Dean snatched up the shirt quickly and prepared to lift it up to pull it over his head.

"Dean." He turned at Castiel's raw voice just a few feet away. The man was practically devouring him with his eyes. He watched as Castiel's lips curved up. "...slowly, please."

Dean felt his face flush hotly and his dick twitch painfully from the tight confines of his jeans. Nevertheless, he went extra slow as he pulled the shirt on. Once it was past his head and settling on his waist, he moved to jog back to the field, passing by Castiel.

"You are NOT a nice person, Cas." Dean hissed, but he couldn't fight back his grin as Castiel's deep, breathy laughter rang out behind him.

…-^o^-…

The game ended when the sun set too low for the players to see anymore.

The group began to say their good-byes and disperse.

Mark caught Dean, "Hey, did you two already have plans for the rest of the evening?"

Dean glanced over to Cas, who was smiling a few feet away. "Um, not really, I guess. Were you planning to go somewhere?"

"Yeah, a few of us are heading over to Ivanov's Bar. You two should join us."

Dean's face brightened as he turned to look at Castiel. "What do you say, Cas? Up for a few more hours of fun?"

Castiel smiled and nodded, and Dean beamed back at him, before turning to Mark. "We're in."

…-^o^-…

As Castiel soon discovered, Ivanov's was not a 'bar', as he had first thought. Or at least, not a traditional type of bar.

It was a karaoke bar.

As they entered the lobby and placed their order for a private room, Castiel looked around with confusion. The bright walls and ornate pictures looked…familiar.

He caught Dean's eye, and the man strolled over and asked, "Something wrong, Cas? You look worried."

Castiel shook his head slowly, trying to rid himself of the strange sense of Déjà vu.

As the group received their keys and moved away from the main desk, Castiel's eyes landed on one of the employees.

"Oh, shit."

But, it was too late. The large man behind the counter had looked up, instantly recognizing Castiel. He shouted something loudly in Russian, and almost immediately several large men appeared and surrounded him and Dean.

The man from behind the counter came over, a huge grin spread across his face, the light glinting off several gold teeth.

"Uh, Cas? Is there something you wanna tell me?" Dean whispered lowly as the larger men circled around them.

"Just that I'm thinking about killing Gabriel. Know any good places to hide a body?" Castiel asked in annoyance.

"Cas-sie! Please say you have come back to return my money, eh?" The man from the front desk asked jovially.

Dean hissed from beside him, "You took his money? THIS guy's money!?"

Castiel shrugged his shoulders and muttered back, "Just follow my lead. He's a teddy-bear. Trust me."

Castiel straightened himself to his full height and addressed the man. "Anton, I won that money fair and square. If you can't respect the rules, then you shouldn't play at all."

"Ah! But your tiny brother- he cheats!" Anton whined.

"For the last time, you can't prove cheating at Truth or Dare! And I definitely did win that contest, just like I said. Gabriel showed you the video on his phone."

The large man frowned for a second, then his grin returned. "We can play again. Now? I will win my money back."

"Not tonight, Anton. We're here to do Karaoke." Castiel stated firmly.

Anton rolled his shoulders heavily, then made a gesture with his hands for his counterparts to let them pass. "Next time, for sure, Cas-sie!" He called after Dean and Castiel as they moved hurriedly down the hallway.

They stopped just before entering their room.

"Well, that was…weird." Dean offered. He turned to grin at Castiel. "So, the weekend before last…?"

Castiel sighed and nodded, "Yes. This was one of our stops. The basement, actually. Anton is a friend of Gabriel's." Castiel explained, frowning.

"What was the contest that you won? The one Gabriel has video of on his phone?" Dean asked as Castiel began to open the door. He watched as the other man froze.

"You remember I mentioned college was a little crazy?" Dean nodded, his smile getting bigger. "I meant it." Castiel stated with a tone of finality.

Then Castiel ducked quickly inside, leaving Dean to wonder what the hell was on that video...?

…-^o^-…

It took one hour, three rootbeer floats, and all the begging Dean could muster to get Castiel to agree to sing with him.

The other five members of their group, including Mark and Julia, shouted encouragement, having already embarrassed themselves plenty. Dean had managed to avoid singing so far, claiming that he didn't want to over-strain his vocal chords before he performed tomorrow night.

Castiel tried to hide his disappointment. But, when Dean finally offered to sing- with Cas – it was almost too good a chance to let pass.

Dean let Castiel choose the song. He watched as the man carefully scrolled through the options. Castiel finally selected one, turning to Dean with a nervous smile.

"You take the solo parts, and I'll join on the chorus, okay?" Castiel mumbled. Dean could spot how nervous Cas was, and gave him a cheerful thumbs up for encouragement.

When the song title appeared, Dean's face split into a wide grin. "Nice choice, Cas!"

Castiel tried to hide his pleasure at Dean's approval as they started the first lines together, their voice mixing nicely.

Carry on my wayward so-o-o-n

They'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to re-e-e-est

Don't you cry no more

By the time they were finished, the rest of the group was applauding enthusiastically. They passed the microphones off to the next singers and relaxed back into the seats.

Dean was just beginning to feel the first hints of exhaustion slipping over him.

Castiel turned his tired gaze over to Dean, noticing his yawn. "We should probably head out soon. You have to rest before your show tomorrow."

Dean grinned over at Cas, loving the way the blue eyes were staring at him with concern. "Mmm. Don't want this night to end yet." He said lowly so no one else could hear. The rest of the group was completely focused toward the monitor at the front of the room. Dean and Cas were at the back.

Dean watched happily as Castiel's eyes widened. He stared at Dean intently for several moments, before lifting the menu in front of him up. The large sheet blocked them from view as Castiel swooped in, giving Dean a quick, heated kiss.

He pulled away, enjoying the surprised look on Dean's face. "Don't say cute stuff so casually. I'll get spoiled." He grumbled.

Dean chuckled, face flushing, and allowed Castiel to pull him up from their seats to leave.

…-^o^-…

They arrived outside Castiel's building and sat quietly in the Impala.

Castiel turned his head tiredly to look over at Dean. "I had a wonderful night, Dean. Thank you."

Dean smiled back. "Yeah, me too." A few seconds pause, "So, I'm guessing you don't want me to walk you up to your door, then, huh?"

Castiel's rumbling chuckle filled the quiet car, sending warm shivers through Dean's entire body. "I think that if you want to stick to your 'kisses only' plan, then you better not come within twenty meters of my apartment. I'm only human, you know."

Dean laughed. "Then I'll definitely see you tomorrow? No 'brain tanks' or 'Russian basements' or 'black cats' going to get in the way, right?"

Castiel heard the concern that Dean was trying to hide in his words. "I'll be there, Dean." He whispered, leaning forward to meet Dean's lips.

They stayed joined for a long time, neither wanting to break apart, and both wanting to deepen the kiss.

Finally, Castiel pulled away reluctantly, as Dean made a pathetic groaning sound.

"See you tomorrow, Dean."

"Can't wait, Cas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if that doesn't get your naughty bits quivering, I don't know what will.
> 
> Next up: -*o*-


	21. Hot Blooded

Gabriel's Thursday had been going exceptionally well.

Ruby was being particularly patient with him in an effort to make up for eating his entire stock of pineapple tarts. Which was to say, she was intentionally missing him when she threw things. She had even waived his charges of breaking and entering.

Gabriel was keeping in touch with Ash and Sam, to follow Dean's every move as they prepared for Friday night. And Charlie and Jess were keeping up with Castiel's schedule.

So far, so good. A little nudge into a kitchen pantry and Gabriel would officially be redeemed for his miscalculation of sending Dick Roman to his younger brother.

Easy.

A knock at his door as soon as he arrived back from visiting Castiel abruptly changed all that.

Ruby came in, quickly shutting the door behind herself. She looked…worried. Which made Gabriel uncomfortable. Ruby got angry. She hardly ever got 'worried'.

"Sir, I've been trying to find you. Headquarters just called. They've scheduled a mandatory emergency Board Meeting for tomorrow at ten o'clock."

Gabriel blinked several times, frowning. "That sounds like…bad news."

"Yes, sir. And, uh, Michael left a message for you." She held up a small piece of paper with a few scribbles on it.

"Michael? You mean his secretary called and left a message from Michael, right?"

"No, sir. Michael, himself, called. He said, uh, that he needed an answer as soon as possible." She sat the note carefully on Gabriel's desk, as if it was about to explode. When she turned to look at him, he didn't like the concern in her eyes.

She looked away, before turning to walk out quickly.

Gabriel picked up the note and read warily.

Gabriel,

Please try to contact your father. Let me know immediately if you reach him. Do not miss the meeting in San Diego tomorrow. Exercise extreme discretion.

-Michael

Gabriel stared at the note trying to put the pieces together to better understand what was so important.

'Try' to contact his dad? 'If' you reach him? 'Discretion'?

What the hell was Michael trying to say?

Gabriel had never been especially fond of his father's protégé. Michael was almost an exact opposite to Gabriel. The man had been groomed from an early age to be the top Executive at the company. He had shadowed Gabriel's father for years. He was the epitome of a solid leader, devoting his life to the company.

So, basically, he annoyed the hell out of Gabriel. Plus, it had always seemed as if his father had adopted Michael as the perfect son. A more appropriate heir than himself or Castiel, both of whom had ZERO interest in leading the company.

It wasn't jealousy, per se. Despite Gabriel's anger at the man for emotionally distancing himself after their mother's death, he knew that their father still loved them. It had taken Gabriel several years to shake off the feelings of hate and frustration he had when their father poured himself further into his job after their Mom passed. But, he had managed to get over it. His father hadn't handled it well, but, then, neither had he. Maybe their father actually did want Michael to take over the company after him. Gabriel wouldn't exactly be heart-broken if that was the case.

But, Michael was…almost too perfect and loyal. Like a robot. He had impeccable social skills and said all the right things, but he wouldn't think twice about firing someone or instituting pay cuts if he decided those actions were in the company's best interest.

Gabriel pulled out his cell phone and hit dial for his father's personal cell.

By the fourth ring he felt a tightening in his stomach. It went to voicemail.

He tried several more numbers, the house phone, the work cell, his personal office desk number.

He finally called Naomi.

She answered almost immediately, her efficient voice ringing through the line.

Gabriel tried to sound unaffected as he asked, "Hey, Naomi! Just trying to reach Daddums. Where is he stuck at right now?"

There was silence on the other end before Naomi's hushed voice answered, "Gabriel, your father is…missing. We haven't seen him all week. I haven't heard from him." Gabriel felt suddenly lightheaded and tried to shake the feeling as Naomi continued. "That's…part of what the meeting tomorrow is about. You need to be here."

"Naomi. What are you saying? Dad can't just disappear. Check his credit card bill or cell phone GPS or something, for God's sake. He could be hurt and in a hospital."

"Michael and I have already tried all that. He…he left a note. I can't talk about it over the phone. Please come to San Diego. It's important. We think Castiel should come, too. I know he isn't a Board Member, but, the note…."

Gabriel tried not to release a hiss of frustration. What the hell was going on? Their father was missing? He left a note?

He thought about Castiel. If they went to San Diego for the meeting, then odds were they wouldn't be back in time for Phase Three. He weighed his options carefully.

"No. Castiel doesn't need to come with me. I'll sort this all out myself, Naomi. I'll take a company jet and be there in a few hours." He hung up his phone and sat quietly at his desk.

Where the hell is their father?

…-^o^-…

"Where were you last night?" Sam asked while he packed his books and papers into his messenger bag Friday morning.

Dean had been expecting the question. "I told you already, baby was acting strange so I spent some quality time with her." He spooned some cereal into his mouth as he stood by the kitchen counter.

"Yeah. You're just…unusually chipper this morning. It's kind of freaking me out a little, dude."

Dean tried to shrug and suggested, "Just pumped about tonight, I guess."

Sam looked at him carefully, before responding, "Okay. Me, too. And Castiel is going to be there again tonight, huh?"

Dean realized that Sam was trying to gauge his reaction. Damn, his brother was sharp. He kept his face blank. "Yeah. He had mentioned Tuesday that he was thinking about it. So, maybe." He shrugged and took another big bite of cereal.

Sam looked at him for a few more seconds before giving up. "Alright. Well, I hope he shows. I'll see you this afternoon for our rehearsal."

"Yep. Have a good one." Dean waited until the front door shut behind him before letting his face break into a wide smile.

He had been floating on cloud nine since last night. He had gone to sleep replaying the date over and over in his mind. Every single glance and smile. The way the sun had lit up Cas's face. The grace and speed as he plucked frisbees from the air with the sun setting behind him. The deep rumble of his voice as they sang their duet.

And his lips. Those incredible, soft, warm lips that had locked onto his.

Dean released a happy sigh. Then immediately sucked the breath back in quickly, reprimanding himself.

Sighing wistfully- really? The hell was next? Giggling? Geez...

But even after mentally slapping himself around a bit, and reminding himself that- yes- he still had a pair, Dean couldn't resist basking in his amazing luck.

How could Castiel be his? How had he not been snatched up and hidden away by now?

Dean remembered Castiel's words in the kitchen Tuesday night. He had just broken up with a boyfriend recently. The jackass had been talking shit about him, or something.

How fucking stupid WAS that guy? What could he possibly have to complain about?

Dean smirked, gloating as he finished his last spoonful of cereal.

Whatever. His loss...

…-^o^-…

Castiel needed to stop smiling. ASAP.

Charlie had turned away over fifteen women just that morning. Apparently, Castiel had been greeting people left and right, sending hand waves and smiles to everyone he saw on his way in to the office. It was causing CHAOS.

Even Jess and Anna were becoming annoyed. Each time the elevator dinged, the three women cringed, waiting for the next wave of perfume and click of heels to step out.

Charlie had stopped being nice when they hit the double-digits.

The next woman was met with a steely glare from Charlie as she slammed her hands onto her desk and snapped, "Listen, Ramona. A 'hello' is a freaking greeting! It's not an offer to screw. Don't confuse courtesy with flirting just because your desperate and horny! Now, take your damn macarons and leave before I unsheathe my katana and go 'Kill Bill' on your skinny ass!" Several doors opened up and down the office hall as workers craned their heads out to watch the commotion.

The woman, Ramona, clutched her fancy box of macarons tightly, yelling back, "We shared a special moment! We talked about the weather all the way to the sixth floor. He even chuckled, damn it! Just let me-"

Charlie bent down and the unmistakeable sound of sliding metal cut through the sudden silence of the ninth floor.

Ramona took the stairs.

The door to Castiel's office opened and he took a step out to look around. He was practically glowing, Charlie noted with irritation.

"You! You need to stop smiling and being nice to be people! Go back to being aloof and unsociable!" She pointed the long length of the sword in his direction angrily. Castiel's smile faltered as he glanced wide-eyed toward the other secretaries. Charlie kept shouting as the entire floor stared. "Just stay holed up in your office until the damn concert, okay? People are trying to do work around here!"

She watched as Castiel's smile returned at the mention of the concert. "Geez-Louise!" She groaned, "At least look contrite, boss!"

The elevator dinged and Charlie swung around to let loose another tirade.

Crowley stepped out and glanced around at the dozens of people frozen in place. His gaze slid over to Charlie and her upraised katana.

"Am I…interrupting something?" He asked, his tone chilly.

The sounds of scurrying feet and slamming doors filled the air.

Crowley strolled over to Castiel. "A word, if you don't mind?"

Castiel nodded and they entered his small office, the door clicking shut behind them.

"Oh, frack." Charlie muttered. "That looked pretty bad, huh? Am I…am I going to lose my job?" She turned her panicked eyes to Jess and Anna.

Jess answered with a small smile. "Don't worry. If Ruby hasn't been fired yet then you should be fine. Just…maybe, keep the katana at home, okay?"

Charlie looked at her dejectedly, "But, what'll I slice my apples with?"

…-^o^-…

Castiel tried not to shift in his seat as he waited for Crowley to speak.

If this was another Think Tank order, then Castiel was going to seriously consider refusing. It was already almost eleven o'clock. A Think Tank would take well into the evening even if they started immediately.

Nothing was going to keep him away from Dean tonight.

Crowley finally turned to him and gave him a fake smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Castiel Novak. I've been hearing nothing but good things about you lately. Your Think Tank results are getting us very positive attention." Castiel gave him a slow nod and waited. "I understand your brother is in San Diego today? Some sort of important meeting for the Board. Do you happen to know what all that is about?" His voice sounded innocent, as if purely interested in the latest gossip.

Castiel frowned. So, this wasn't about a Think Tank, or even Castiel. Crowley was fishing for information. "No, sir. Gabriel sent me a text yesterday to say that he was flying to headquarters and should be back in a day or two. I don't know what the meeting is about, though."

Crowley looked at him with the slightest hint of suspicion. "So, you have no idea, then? Hmm. Tell me, Castiel, have you spoken with your father recently?"

Castiel became more confused by the question and a little irritated, "I don't believe it's any of your business if my father and I speak to each other. Our relationship is not work-related."

Crowley seemed put-off by the answer, and backed off a bit. "Just checking. One hears…rumors. You know how it is."

Castiel had no clue what rumors Crowley was referring to. Before he could ask, the man abruptly excused himself, leaving the office for the elevator.

After a few moments, Castiel pulled out his phone and began calling all his father's numbers.

He was trying not to let Crowley get him riled up over nothing, but his father was always reachable by at least one of his phones.

When those failed, he sent a quick text to Gabriel, hoping that whatever they were discussing at the board meeting would clear all this up.

C: Call me once the meeting ends. I can't reach father.

He sat staring at his phone, thinking.

His dad was probably just stuck in the meeting with Gabe. Phones were usually not authorized in the Board Meetings for security reasons. Gabriel would get back to him with and answer soon. No need to waste time worrying about something that was already out of his hands.

Not when he could be thinking about Dean...

On stage-

In tight, thread-bare jeans-

Shaking his firm, perfect ass-

Perspiring under the bright stage lights-

NOTHING was going to distract Castiel from being at the concert tonight...

…-^o^-…

Tessa smiled brightly as the elderly man entered the diner. "Good morning and welcome back! Have a seat and I'll get some coffee for you."

The man sent her a warm smile as he moved to take up a seat in the corner booth.

She sat the coffee down on his table and did a quick check of the empty diner, before sitting down across from him. "I was worried that you might get sick from being in the rain yesterday. Are you feeling alright?"

The man's face crinkled into a smile behind his thick beard and his deep voice said gently, "I'm doing fine, Tessa. Thank you for your concern."

Tessa smiled back and asked, "What would like for breakfast? And, I'm serious this time-you don't need to worry about paying." She had been unhappy when the man had insisted he pay for his meal last night.

"I'm paying. Just a garden omelette, please." He gave her another gentle smile, and she huffed, but nodded.

Thirty minutes later, as he was finishing his food, Tessa resumed sitting across from him. She was hesitant to ask too many questions, but she was also worried about the man and his behavior. Sitting outside cemeteries wasn't healthy, and she worried that he was depressed at the loss of a loved one.

She decided to start simply. "So, I didn't get your name last night."

The man gave another small smile and answered, "I go by several, depending on the person. You can just call me Teddy. My wife liked to call me that."

Tessa nodded and spoke softly, "Is your wife the person you visit at the cemetery? I don't mean to nosy, but, I, uh, noticed that you've been sitting out there a lot the last few days."

She watched as the man nodded slowly.

"Do you have any other family? Anyone that may be worried about you? Wondering where you are?" She asked quietly.

He nodded again. "I have sons. Two of them. Well," he paused thoughtfully, "Three, actually, but...two that are mine."

"Do you want me to call them for you? Let them know you're here and safe?" She frowned as he shook his head slowly and smiled to himself.

"I'm very lucky, you know. They're great boys. One of them, the youngest, is the spitting image of me. Even acts like me, sometimes. Just a great kid." Tessa smiled as his eyes brightened while he spoke, "The other one took after my wife, right down to her sense of humor. He got her looks, too." He trailed off thoughtfully, before adding with a warm grin, "Poor guy."

He saw Tessa's eyebrows shoot up, and broke into a deep chuckle.

"Aren't they going to be worried about you, sitting out here all day?" She finally asked him.

He looked away, out the window toward the cemetery, his smile fading just barely. "They'll be fine, Tessa. They're tough boys.

The ding from the bell of the diner door signaled a customer. Tessa looked at the man carefully, then nodded and left him sitting alone, staring out the window.

…-^o^-…

Ash: Standby to initiate 'Phase Three' as soon as the concert ends.

Charlie: Aye aye!

Jess: Roger

Garth: Roger!

Sam: Ready

Jo: Let's do it!

Rufus: Got it.

Bobby: smoky

Bobby: orchid

Bobby: out kids

Ash: You need to turn auto-correct off, Bobby.

Bobby: Hive?

Ellen: Bobby and I are ready.

Ash: Alright folks! Gabe had to fly out for work yesterday, so we're down one. Just stick to the plan.

…-^o^-…

Castiel squeezed his way through the packed crowd.

It actually seemed like there were more people here tonight than last week. He smiled to himself. No surprise, there. Dean and his band were incredible. They deserved to be recognized.

He found Garth at a large table with Jess, Charlie, Rufus, Bobby, and Anna. They all smiled widely when Castiel appeared, planting him down in the center, facing the stage. They were closer to it this time, but with enough distance to still be comfortable.

Castiel leaned over to Anna and yelled over the noise, "You and Benny alright?"

Anna smiled brightly and nodded. She tried to shout back, but her soft voice couldn't carry. Castiel watched her mouth the words 'thanks for you help'. He nodded back.

Suddenly the lights went out and silence washed over the audience as they waited in anticipation.

Castiel felt his heart begin stuttering wildly. The darkness seemed to last forever and all he could manage to think was short, demanding thoughts.

Show me Dean.

Dean.

I want to see him.

Show him.

Need to see Dean.

Want him now.

The lights flared to life. The stage illuminated and there he was.

Dean.

Castiel's mind buzzed at the sight. Dean was lit up like a beacon in the night, his smile wide, and his eyes searching. The intro started for Foreigners 'Hot Blooded'. Dean and Sam laid into their guitars as Benny led on the drums.

Castiel sat frozen as the green orbs finally locked onto his and held. There was a flash of white teeth just as Dean stepped up to the microphone stand and began.

'Well I'm hot blooded- Check it and see!'

'I've got a fever of a hundred and three!'

'Come on Baby- Do you do more than dance?'

Dean raised his eyebrows suggestively at Castiel, not breaking eye-contact. Castiel tried to suck in air, but could barely manage a few strained gasps. He could hear his own hot pulse thrumming in his head and feel it humming throughout his body.

'I'm hot blooded-!'

'I'm hot blooded-!'

Castiel was already rock-hard and unable to pull his wide eyes away. Every time Dean broke eye-contact to move or dance around, his eyes always fell back, unerringly, to Castiel's.

'You don't have to read my mind-'

'To know what I have in mine!'

'Oooh, honey you ought to know!'

Dean winked and grinned widely at Castiel, causing the audience around their table to shriek hysterically, wondering which lucky woman he was looking at. Castiel tried to swallow thickly.

'Now you move soo fine!'

'Let me lay it on the line-'

Dean leaned forward, landing in a crouch and taking the microphone down with him. He looked directly at Castiel over the heads of the crowd as he belted out:

'I wanna know-'

'What you're doing-'

'After the show!'

You. Castiel's numb mind supplied as a primal growl rippled through him.

I'm gonna do you.

If I can survive that long...

…-^o^-…

Dean's body was trembling before they were even half-way through the last song.

He needed it to end. He needed off the stage. He had to get to Castiel.

Cas.

The entire performance, as the sea of bodies in front of Dean had swayed and shook, screamed and sang along, Castiel had sat like a statue in his seat.

But his eyes. Dean hadn't been able to pull away from them.

Even though Castiel sat still and unaffected, Dean could see the truth. His blue eyes had watched hungrily, gliding down Dean's body as he danced, gliding over Dean's mouth as he sang. He knew every time he spun around to shake his ass that Cas was watching him.

All Dean could see in the entire crowd were those two blue beacons. The swinging strobe lights had flashed across them, at one moment lighting them up, and the next moment casting them in an eerie darkness.

Dean felt like they were alone, the rest of the crowd just static. Noise. A distraction from the private show he was giving to Cas. Just for the two of them. Every smile, wink, word, and song.

The final lines of the last song poured out of him into the cool night air and the lights cut out.

After a few seconds, they cut back on to the deafening applause of the audience. Women rushed the stage screaming and reaching out. Everyone was on the feet applauding. There were whistles and shouts from every direction, adding to the chaos.

And Castiel was NOT in his seat.

Dean, Sam and Benny stood at the edge of the stage to bow and wave. Dean's eyes snapped over the crowd, scanning desperately for Castiel. The bodies had begun moving, streaming past each other, impossible to follow.

Dean felt the air in his lungs squeezing painfully in and out. His chest was tight. His eyes darted to every flashing face.

Where did he go?

Where is Cas-?

Dean jumped from the stage and began wading fast through the grasping arms and hands of excited women as they pulled on him and grasped his clothes. He heard them speaking, but he didn't listen to the words. It was all unimportant. He needed to find Cas.

A suddenly strong grip on his forearm swung Dean around.

And there he was. Cas.

Dean met his eyes and groaned painfully. Castiel's eyes were wide, pupils dilated. He was flushed. His hair was a wild mess. His breathing was fast and shallow.

This was the side of Cas that Dean had seen in the apartment just a few days ago. The look of barely controlled hunger and lust etched into his normally calm features.

Dean needed Castiel. Alone. Right fucking NOW.

His mind began to throw up images of places where they could get some privacy.

A storage closet? No.

The impala? No.

Ellen's office, upstairs? No.

There was a pretty spacious pantry in the kitchen…? Maybe? But that was all the way past the thick sea of bodies...

So far away-!

As he turned that way, his eyes caught on the stage nearby.

Or that could work….

Dean grabbed Castiel's shirt, yanking hard. They weaved and dodged hurriedly through the crowd as Dean led them around to the back of the stage. He practically shoved Castiel into the narrow space leading underneath the riser structure.

The noise of the crowd was muffled immediately in the cool darkness. Narrow slats of light shone in through the thin spaces between the risers from outside. The stage was just high enough for them to stand without ducking. The lawn beneath them was covered with a thick spread of tarp.

Before Dean's eyes could even begin to adjust to the darkness, he was pulled roughly against Castiel's hot body, hungry lips searching and finding one another's.

There were insistent pulls on Dean shirt and his belt all at once. His hands darted down, catching Castiel's, fumbling to assist him in removing them. Dean suddenly felt too hot, like his body was going up in flames.

His shirt caught over his head and he threw his hands up to rip it off quickly, pulling temporarily away from their kiss. He felt Castiel's hands slide around to both sides of his hips, then yank down his pants. Dean kicked at his shoes and socks, and used his grip on Cas as he shook his pants completely off. Castiel's hands slid quickly back up to graze across bare skin. He released a deep moan of approval to discover Dean had gone commando under his jeans, taking advantage and grasping Dean's stiff cock, giving it one firm stroke. A low moan tore from Dean's mouth and Castiel muffled it with his lips.

They both cast quicks glances towards the cracks in the risers. They could see the dwindling crowd moving further from the stage, milling toward the Road House interior and the exits. Only a few stragglers were taking their time, slowly walking and talking excitedly away from where the men were hidden.

A sudden shove from Cas pushed Dean into the side of the large speaker boxes. Castiel was on him immediately, pressing every inch of his body against Dean's, grinding their erections against each other's. The feel of his cock against the coarse fabric of Castiel's pants had Dean releasing a quiet, shuddering moan. Castiel chuckled breathily as Dean tugged helplessly at Castiel's pants.

He grabbed at Dean's hands, pulling them away from his pants with a strength that Dean hadn't been expecting. His eyes had adjusted finally to dim lighting breaking through the cracks in the risers, and he could make out the look of pure hunger on Castiel's face.

"Oh, fuck- Cas, please-" Dean moaned hoarsely as Cas's lips left his mouth to begin traveling down his neck, licking and biting at his protruding clavicle. Lower to lick and suck at one nipple, then the other, earning anxious whines from Dean between gasps of breath.

His scalding mouth sank lower, tongue blazing a trail down Dean's flat, firm abs. Dean's legs began to shake from anticipation as Castiel's mouth kept dropping.

Then Castiel was pulling back. Dean heard a keening sound and realized it had come from him.

"Dean," Castiel's gravelly voice whispered through the silence, sending a shudder through Dean's entire body. "Do you want me on the bottom?"

Dean's brain was not up for multi-syllable words at that moment. He just wanted Cas to go back to touching every private part of him with his hands and mouth. He managed to gasp out dumbly, "Huh?"

He stared at Castiel, who was watching him closely, and saw the man suddenly release a muffled laugh. "Never mind," he chuckled huskily, "Stupid question."

Dean tried to force his brain into understanding what Cas was saying, but it still wouldn't obey him. Having Castiel's hungry-looking eyes devouringf him while he was ass-naked didn't help anything.

He watched through lidded eyes as Castiel began quickly pulling his own clothes off. Castiel's bare skin was revealed, glowing in the thins beams of light as he moved gracefully. HIs lean form dipped smoothly to discard his shoes and pants. Then, he was lunging forward to return his mouth where he had left off, sinking even lower, and dropping to his bare knees. He reached out grabbing Dean's hands and holding them firmly at his sides, pinned against the speakers behind him. Dean watched in wide-eyed awe as Castiel's eyes flicked up to meet his as his tongue darted out to lick across the head of Dean's swollen cock. Dean choked out a strangled groan, and Cas abruptly swallowed him. Dean felt the air leave his lungs as his head spun dangerously.

He fought to free his hands from Castiel's strong grip, but the man held tightly, bobbing his head up and down, taking him down deeper each time.

Dean was losing his mind. Castiel's mouth was doing everything right. His tongue licking and twisting expertly. It was hands-down the best blow job Dean had ever gotten. Leave it to another guy to know what really worked.

Dean was choking on gasps, trying to control his lewd moans to avoid being overheard and discovered.

He glanced worriedly again through the riser slats. Almost everyone had left the lot. Small crowds were still gathered talking in the light of the Road house almost thirty yards away.

Cas pulled away suddenly, releasing Dean's trembling hands and darting to his pile of discarded clothes. Dean's shaky legs finally buckled and he slid down heavily on the thick plastic of a tarp beneath him. He watched as Castiel darted back to him, the familiar shape of a condom package in his hand.

Castiel opened the packet and rolled the condom down Dean's shaft with precision as Dean tried to reach down and help. His shaking hands only slowed the process down, causing Castiel to bat them away impatiently. Moments later Castiel moved up, positioning himself over him. Dean slid his hands up, circling Cas's slim waist and squeezing hesitantly as a sudden wave of nerves coursed through him.

Castiel's stopped, his eyes locking onto to Dean's with something that looked like apprehension and guilt. He slid back, away from Dean and his voice murmured roughly, "Dean- are-are you good? We don't have to-"

Dean smothered his words with a deep, hungry kiss, his tongue snaking inside Castiel's hot mouth, effectively silencing his concerned inquiry. He felt Cas hurriedly move back to position himself.

Then, he was sinking down tortuously slow...

Castiel's hands were tight on Dean's shoulders. He broke their kiss to let out carnal moan that rolled over Dean like a breaking wave over hot sand.

Dean fought the urge to buck his hips up as the delicious sensation of tightness and wet heat closed in over him. He felt Castiel trembling, heard the sharp gasps and tight exhalations.

"Cas- mmn- Cas are- are you okay-?" Dean worried that Cas was in pain, the constriction almost too much for him, too.

Castiel didn't answer, but he leaned his head into Dean's neck, his mass of hair tickling, and his breath scorching against his skin. Dean breathed in the now familiar scent of Castiel's hair, body relaxing at the gentle scent.

After the longest few second of his life, he felt Castiel finally bottom, with Dean completely sheathed inside him. Dean's breaths were coming out more like moans, but he waited for Cas, fighting the desperate need to move and create the friction he was craving.

Cas sat fully on top of him now, legs straddled on both side. At last, Dean could feel the almost imperceptible shift as Cas's body softened around him. Castiel gave a few small rolls of his hips, and released a obscene groan. His arms came up to circle around the back of Dean's neck as he whispered a husky order into Dean's ear, "Move."

Dean made a strangled noise and grasped Castiel's hips for leverage. He bucked his hips up, once- carefully, to gauge Castiel's reaction. He watched as the man sucked in a sharp gasp then released another vulgar moan. The beams of light lit up Castiel's face and Dean's watched with wonder as his head rolled back, mouth falling open.

That was all the encouragement Dean needed. He tightened his grip on Castiel's hips and began thrusting long, hard strokes into him. Castiel clung tightly to him, leaning his head forward, trying to plant small, fluttering kisses everywhere- mouth, shoulders, collar and neck- between his ragged gasps for breath.

As Dean's thrusts began to become faster and more uncontrolled, his grip on Castiel's hot skin started to slip. He ran his hands across the damp muscles madly, needing something to grasp onto so he could deepen his thrusts.

Frustrated, and losing his control quickly, he pulled himself out, ignoring Cas's immediate growl of disapproval, then circled the man's waist with his arms and swung him around onto his back. He pulled roughly on Cas's legs, bringing them up, then positioned himself back at his entranced and entered with one deep, slow push.

Castiel's hands shot up to Dean's shoulders and he raked his nails desperately across Dean's back. Throwing his head back, he let out a low, stuttering whine of pleasure. Dean resumed his desperate thrusts, pulling almost all the way out, before slamming back in hard.

Castiel was making incredible keening noises, broken by choked sobs and pleas for more. Dean felt himself tensing, his orgasm building fast, curling heat in his stomach and spreading tingling flames throughout his body. He reached his hand between them, taking Castiel in his hand and stroking in time with his thrusts. Castiel sobbed pathetically, grasping Dean's short hair and pulling him in for a hard, hot kiss.

Dean felt Castiel tightening around him, every muscle in his body clenching as he shouted, the cries muffled by Dean's mouth. Dean managed a few more sloppy thrusts before he quickly followed, his body convulsing with shudders as he emptied himself.

Dean collapsed, barely catching himself, trying not to crush Castiel beneath him, as he pulled out weakly. They lay in a heap of sweat and cooling limbs, feeling each other's bodies trembling with the last lingering remains of their orgasms.

The silence was filled by only their heavy breathing and low moans for several minutes. Dean's head was buzzing, his thoughts completely scattered. He felt Castiel's warm hand smoothing circles over his back. The chill of the night was beginning to set in, raising goosebumps on their damp skin.

"Cas?" Dean's hoarse voice spoke from the vicinity of Castiel's neck.

"Mmm?" Dean could feel the soft rumble from Castiel's throat just beneath him.

"Please come to all my concerts."

…-^o^-…

"This is ridiculous! Where the hell could they have gone!?" Sam demanded as Bobby and Jess returned from the parking lot. "So, BOTH of their cars are still out there?" Jess nodded apologetically, "Then where are they?!"

Benny appeared at the steps leading upstairs to the offices, shrugging his shoulders from across the distance at Sam.

Jo ran over frowning, "I asked everyone. No one's seen them."

"Cas was with us at the table one minute, then just… gone once the lights cut back on. We didn't even see him get up!" Jess supplied.

"I had Dean right beside me, damn it! They've got to be together, right?" He looked helplessly at the rest of the group. "And where did Ash go?"

Bobby spoke up gruffly, "Checking 'round the lot."

…-^o^-…

Ash was circling around the fence-line of the empty lot, heading back toward the glow of the Road House when he thought he heard something.

He couldn't place what direction it came from or if he had just imagined it. He glanced around to the dozens of abandoned tables with half-filled mugs and empty bottles on them.

He waited for several seconds, but when he didn't hear anything else, he began strolling forward again.

The distinct whisper of a muffled groan came from the direction of the stage about fifteen yards back behind him.

He froze, back straightening and eyebrows shooting up.

He did NOT turn around.

Instead, he started strolling away at a quicker pace, closing the rest of the distance fast as he returned back to the flustered group standing in the middle of the Road House.

"Any sign of them?" Sam asked desperately as he approached.

"Negative, amigos. They just up and disappeared on us. Sorry." Ash bit back a grin as lifted his hands helplessly.

The group let out discouraged sighs and huffs of frustration.

Jess spoke up carefully, "Um, is it possible that they're already hooking-up somewhere? I mean, Dean practically undressed Castiel from the stage during the entire show. We all saw it."

Sam looked around in confusion as the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Sam finally pulled out his phone. "I...I really doubt that, Jess. I mean, this is 'Dean' we're talking about."

"That's kind of my point, Sam." She gave him a knowing grin, lifting her eyebrows pointedly.

Sam's face flushed red as the others coughed to hide their chuckles. "He, well, he- That's with WOMEN, though. I mean, he wouldn't..." Sam stuttered, turning more red. He looked at his phone deep in thought, before releasing a shaky sigh. "I'm telling Charlie and Garth to stand down in the kitchen. Sorry for all the trouble, guys. We'll just figure out what the hell happened tonight and where they went off to, then regroup for a new plan in a few days."

Everyone nodded and began to separate, Jess walking over and wrapping her arms around Sam with a soft smile. "Don't worry, babe. We'll make sure those two hard-heads get together no matter what."

Sam returned her hug as he sent out the text to Charlie and Garth.

Bobby turned and began walking away to join Ellen at the bar. He glared suspiciously as he passed by Ash. "What the hell are you smiling about, boy?"

Ash just grinned cheerfully as he headed for the exit. "It's nothin', Bobby. Disregard."

...-^o^-...

Ellen: Your son and his gay crush are missing. Bobby figures where ever they are, they're together. Alone. Get that $500 ready.

Mary: From both of us, sincerely: : p

Ellen: $1000?

Mary: Deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Dean makes Sam breakfast.
> 
> Dean descends into the terrifying world of Ash's sex tutelage.
> 
> Dean finds Lucifer incarcerated.
> 
> (And thank you all for the Kudos and Comments! It's a party down there in the comments section- I'm having so much fun talking to you all! And I swear, when I get up to 1000 Hits, I'm throwing confetti! Thanks for the support so far!)


	22. Gay Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confetti has been thrown!! I made it over a 1000 Hits in seven days! That's all thanks to you wonderful folks! Thanks for continuing to read. My next goal is 100 Kudos!
> 
> I swear, the word count just starts shooting up from here on out. The final chapters of this fic are ~20,000 each. (Did I mention this is a HUGE fic...?) : D
> 
> (BTW: 1) Biscuits below is referring to the breakfast kind, with gravy. Not the cookie kind, with tea.
> 
> (BTW: 2) I know Singer's Salvage and Bobby's house are actually in Sioux Falls, but just go with it for this story. They are in Lawrence now for my convenience. ; )

Sam awoke Saturday morning to the earsplitting siren of the smoke detector.

Launching into action before he was fully awake, he tossed his covers off, rolling his large body onto the floor, then frantically jumped up to throw open his bedroom door. A blast of acidic smoke hit his face. He sprinted out the door into the hazy gray, slamming into the hallway wall, taking down several family photos, and leaving a crumpled dent. He swung around the corner into the kitchen, where Dean was standing on a chair wincing as he fumbled, trying to open the smoke detector and pull out the batteries.

Sam covered his ears at the peeling and took in the charred, smoking biscuits sitting in the open oven door. Above the oven was a series of skillets and pans filled with what could dubiously be identified as breakfast foods.

"Wha-? Dean, what the hell, man!?" Sam fought the urge to cough as he gasped in the burning smoke as it was slowly dissipating out the opened windows and back door.

Dean's head snapped around, looking surprised and guilty. He quickly switched to his charming smile and answered, shouting over the alarm, "Oh, good. You're up! I, uh, I made you breakfast."

Dean finally pulled the cover off the smoke detector and yanked the batteries out, with a victorious 'Aha!'

Sam waited for the ringing in his ears to die down before he addressed his brother, who was grinning cheerfully as he hopped down from the chair and practically skipped over to the stove to check the rest of the food. "Dean. Why…why are you doing this? You can't cook- at all. Are you trying to burn the house down? We don't need the insurance money that bad, dude."

He watched as Dean shrugged his shoulders, staying turned away. His voice was cheerful, but Sam recognized the note of anxiety. "Come on, Sammy. Can't I make my little brother some breakfast for a change? Just go ahead and sit down. I'm almost done."

Sam stared at his brother's back nervously. This couldn't be good. It had to have something to do with Dean's disappearance at the concert last night. With Castiel.

Sam had waited with Jess for two hours after the show, hoping Dean and Castiel would show up with some perfectly reasonable excuse. Instead, the two men had never reappeared, and a frustrated check of the parking lot showed both their cars had left sometime from when they were last checked. Sam was completely thrown for a loop. When he finally arrived back home, he discovered that Dean had already returned and had gone to bed. He was tempted to wake him and find out what had happened, but he fought it, mostly because Dean was likely to wake up swinging if he tried.

Sam slid out a kitchen chair and sat down hesitantly, watching as Dean slopped piles of runny scrambled eggs and burnt hash browns onto two plates. He paused just before turning and reached out, plucking up two of the shrunken, black biscuits, adding them onto the mountains of food.

Sam grimaced, but quickly turned his frown into a stiff smile as Dean turned to him.

His older brother sat the plates down, looking proud of himself, then joined Sam, pulling out a chair and sitting.

Sam tried to shuffle the concoction in front of him around busily. Dean just sat across from him, watching. The smile never even faltered, but Sam could tell that Dean was thinking hard. His brother's hands were constantly moving, tapping the table, fiddling with his fork, rubbing against his legs. Sam recognized it as one of Dean's nervous gestures. This one was a sign that his brain was working in overdrive.

Finally, Sam asked carefully, "So, uh, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Dean's face froze, his eyes darting anywhere but in Sam's direction. Apparently, Dean hadn't quite worked out what he was wanting to say.

Sam tried waiting patiently, making an attempt to look pleased with the food in front of him.

The younger Winchester had sat in that seat before. He knew the feeling.

He was rewarded when Dean finally blew out a nervous chuckle, "Hah. Well, I just, you know, wanted to have a nice, sit-down breakfast with my brother. Nothing unusual about that, right Sammy?" Sam began to answer, but Dean continued quickly, stuttering, "I mean, I feel like we're growing apart, man. Haha. People can change so quickly, you know? I mean, you hooked up with Jess, and that seems to be getting pretty serious. And, uh, Benny's got his new love interest all of a sudden. And, I-" Dean stopped, eyes searching as if stumbling over the next part. He finally poured out in a rush of words that Sam could barely follow, "I, uh, I've got someone now, too-So we all have someone special in our lives! Isn't it great? We're all just so happy, and there are rainbows and unicorns and butterflies and creepy angel kids flying around. Yep! Everything is just…great."

Sam stared at his brother, who immediately took a large, nervous bite of his food then choked and tried to cough it all back out in disgust.

"Is…is this about Castiel?" Sam hazarded.

Dean stopped mid-way through raking his fork over his tongue, trying to remove the traces of food. His wide green eyes moved up to Sam's and then quickly back down to his plate. He shrugged again before mumbling, "We may be, um…to-ge-ther?" He wouldn't look up at Sam again, but his statement came out more like a worried question than an admission.

"Okay. Well, that's great then." Dean's head shot up to look at Sam. He continued encouragingly, "Castiel is a cool guy. I was serious, you know. If you like him then, well, good." He could see the tension drain out of Dean's shoulders as his brother's smile returned. Geez, it was weird to watch Dean acting so nervous and shy. Sam was going to have to remember this day for future arguments. "So, you two are dating now, huh? That's cool, Dean. I'm happy for you."

"Yeah. I, uh, guess we are dating." Dean was slowly beginning to open up and smile more.

Sam sat back, relaxing, and Dean finally did the same. "Alright. Well, that explains last night I guess. Everyone was pretty surprised that you both ditched. Where did you guys go?" Dean's face turned a bright shade of red as he looked back to his food and fidgeted. "Oh, come on, Dean. We just accepted that you and Castiel are dating. I think we can talk about you sneaking off for a private make-out session like adults."

Dean coughed, intentionally looking away from Sam, but he smiled proudly and mumbled, "Little bit more then a make-out session, Sammy."

Sam took in Dean's smug look and reminiscent eyes and blanched. What? WHAT? No fucking possible way! He didn't mean-

"SEX!? Holy shit-like actual 'gay' sex?! Dean, are you fucking insane?!" Sam was out of his chair pacing in a mild panic and casting incredulous stares at Dean.

Dean was taken aback, his glow-y eyed smile gone and replaced with a confused frown. "The fuck, Sammy? You just said you were cool with me and Cas. What're you flipping out about?"

"I-, no- NO! I did NOT mean that you should go have SEX with a guy you barely met two weeks ago, Dean!" Sam practically shouted the words at Dean, his voice becoming shrill. "My god, dude! You can't just-just decide that your suddenly gay, then jump the first guy you get a boner for! This isn't like picking up chicks in a bar!"

Dean was becoming annoyed by Sam's abrupt hysterics. "Hey! Calm the fuck down, Sam! Both me and Cas are consenting adults, dammit. We can decide when and where to screw without needing you or anyone else's fucking permission!"

Sam tried desperately to reign in his shock, "I get that- no, I totally do, Dean. But- fuck! You've only seen him a few times. And you were totally straight before he showed up. How the hell did you go from 'straight' to 'gay sex' in that amount of time? Don't you think that's taking things way too fast?!"

"As a matter of fact, I've seen Cas almost everyday this week-including for an awesome first date- that we both agreed to keep totally 'middle school'- so get the fuck off my back and don't tell me what's too fast, Sammy!"

Sam ran his hands through his long hair in frustration and no small amount of panic. He took several deep breaths before turning back to Dean. "Okay. Okay, yeah. I'm good. Right." He sat back down, raising his hands in concession towards Dean. "I'm just…I hadn't expected you to… Well, I guess I just didn't expect you to take finding out that you're gay so…well. Most people would have a rough time with it. And, I guess I figured you would- you know- be more than 'a little' resistant to, um…well, letting a guy put his…er, put 'it' in…."

Dean had been scowling at Sam as he spoke, but as Sam finished weakly, Dean's eyes widened and he began shaking his head emphatically, "Whoa! Whoa, Sammy-! No! That is not-! No fucking way did I-!" He was sputtering as if the words were almost choking him. "'I' did the 'putting in', Sammy! Dude, why would you even…?!"

Sam gave him a completely unbelieving look. "You're telling me that Castiel, the super-stoic, manly business man, let you 'do' him? Dean…" Sam shook his head sadly, "If you're embarrassed, just, don't be-"

"No! Dammit, Sammy! I'm not lying- geez, are you kidding me? How the hell is this hard to understand? Of course, I wasn't the…the, uh, the 'chick'!"

"Bottom, Dean. The, uh, one who…'takes' it is usually called the bottom. The one that…'gives' is called the top. Man, you need to talk to someone about all this. How can you be gay and not even know the basics?"

Dean was just staring at him angrily, but he seemed to be thinking. "Hold up. 'Bottom'? That mean's you 'take it'? Cas asked…he-" Suddenly Dean's eyes grew enormous and his face and ears turned a deep shade of red. "Oh, fuck my life! He meant-!? Why…why would he even ASK me that?!"

Sam already had a pretty good idea what Dean was referring to, but he gave it time to sink in before speaking, "So, uh… Castiel checked with you first, huh? And I'm guessing you were a clueless dumbass who had no idea what he meant? God, Dean," Sam leaned back in his chair and shook his head with a frown as he muttered, "Castiel must be a pretty understanding guy. That makes more sense, cuz that dude definitely doesn't seem like he'd be the bottom…"

Dean was just gaping, still in shock. He managed a weak response, "But, I- I don't… I can't be a bot-! I can't do that, Sam! He can't honestly expect me to-. I'm a man, god dammit!"

Sam stared at Dean with a bitchface that spoke volumes. He responded tightly, "I'm pretty sure you are BOTH men, Dean. That's the point. How can you talk like that after you just had sex with him last night? Is Castiel any less of a man just because he was on the bottom?"

Dean just stared wide-eyed, his brain seemingly broken by the sudden information. Sam watched him carefully.

"Sam…" Dean said in a horrified whisper, shaking his head slowly as he stared off into space. "I don't think I can… I can't do 'that'."

Sam let out a deep sigh, genuinely feeling bad for his stupid brother. "Dean, just…Listen, you need to discuss this with Castiel, okay man? I mean, maybe I just pegged him wrong. If he, you know, didn't mind last night, then maybe he actually prefers being the bottom. You should check before jumping to conclusions. It's not the end of the world, alright?"

Dean just nodded his head weakly, staring in shock down at his cold food.

Wow, Sam thought, Dean really jumped into this without ANY kind of thinking involved.

"Hey, Dean. Look, I know this is a lot to take in, uh, for both of us. Just, maybe talk to Ash? He can probably explain things better than I can." Dean was nodding his head slowly. "And, if you and Castiel want, you can come to the Light the Night picnic this evening, okay? Kind of as a couple, you know. Benny and Anna are going to be there- me and Jess, too. Just to…relax a bit. Maybe you two can slow things down and spend more time- oh, I don't know- 'talking' to each other so misunderstandings like this don't happen."

Dean fidgeted and Sam almost placed a firm hand on his shoulder to stop him in annoyance. When the hell had Dean started acting like a shy, pre-pubescent girl?

"Won't that be weird? I mean, me showing up with a guy?"

Sam looked at him like he was an idiot for several seconds before answering, "No, Dean. I doubt anyone will think it's strange. They may even, ah, already suspect that you two are a thing. Pretty much everyone at Castiel's table mentioned that you were throwing some pretty heated looks at him last night. Not exactly subtle, man."

Dean flushed for what had to be the tenth time in just the last five minutes. "Oh. Yeah. I guess…yeah. Kind of obvious, then, huh?"

"Dean, just be careful. Talk to Castiel and see where you two stand. Or ask anyone in the audience last night. They can all probably describe your love-life in detail- you practically serenaded your feelings to him the whole damn show. I knew I shouldn't have let you pick all the songs."

He tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, but it was tough.

Because, seriously, Dean had to be the dumbest 'newly-gay' guy in history.

And Castiel was probably beginning to realize that...

…-^o^-…

Dean sat in complete silence in the driver's seat of the impala. He had cut the engine in the gravel parking lot of the Singer's Salvage as soon as he had arrived almost twenty minutes earlier. His mind was in complete shut-down mode.

He replayed Sam's words in his head, trying not to cringe. Bottom. As in, has…an object…in his…

Yep, and that was about where his brain was flipping off at.

He understood, at some level. Hell, he had just participated in the act of…sticking…uh… He had done that to Cas, just last night, almost naturally. It hadn't seemed like such a big deal at the time. Plus, Cas had 'clearly' enjoyed it.

Dean's mind flashed through memories of Cas's lean, muscular body pressed hotly against his own while Dean thrust. Castiel had been making incredible noises that had resounded through Dean, urging him on, pushing him to the brink of his sanity.

It had all seemed…right. Nothing unusual or weird. Hell, it felt fucking outstanding.

His mind flashed back to his and Cas's embarrassed escape up and over the back fence of the lot, desperately trying to avoid drawing the attention of the cleaning crews that had appeared to straighten-up the tables and chairs.

Only few sparse streetlights lit up the darkness of the lots beyond the fence. Dean had scaled the stacked equipment boxes with his usual level of not-grace, landing hard on the dirt and grass on the otherside. He had looked behind him, expecting to see Castiel making short work of the fence, his slightly lighter frame considerably more agile. Instead, Castiel was hanging back, assessing the height with a small frown. Dean had whispered through the fence jokingly, "C'mon Cas. Don't tell me that I wore you out!"

Castiel's pensive face had broken into another of his bright smiles as he scoffed at the challenge. "As if." Then he had hopped carefully up and over with just a slight grimace.

Dean moved to help break his fall on the other side, relishing in the feel of Castiel gripping him warmly again. They had stood like that, holding each other tightly, for several moments of silence filled by loud crickets all around them, before erupting into giddy chuckles that grew into full-blown laughs as they made their way back to their parked cars. Their hands had been locked together until they said their good-byes, which was punctuated by kisses and some light groping.

At the time, Dean hadn't even considered that Cas would have been in any pain.

He ran his hand over his face, feeling like a piece of shit.

Shouldn't he have thought of that? How could he not have checked that Cas was okay? He must have been hurting. Shit. Dean knew that Cas had been in some pain initially. He'd even had enough lingering braincells to ask about it. But, it hadn't phased him enough to slow him down or be more gentle. Nope, he had just turned up to full-throttle.

Fuck.

Most of the females he had bedded hadn't been in any significant discomfort after love-making. But, Dean had never tried to go...there with a chick before. There just never seemed much point. How would he even know if he was any good? It had to be pretty much the same as with chicks, right? And Cas hadn't said anything...

Dean thought back to what Sam had said about Cas being on top. Dean had just…'assumed' that Cas would be the bottom.

After all, he was the gay one.

Dean flinched, correcting himself. Technically they both were now. And THAT was a hurdle that Dean was not willing to try and jump yet. He pushed the thought from his head, returning to the more daunting problem.

What was the big deal with…'taking' it?

Dean knew the answer. He knew Sammy knew the answer, too, but had not said it out loud for Dean's sake.

Pride.

Dean pitched forward in his seat, slamming his head hard against the steering wheel. A long, loud honk filled the lot, echoing around the piles of stacked cars and filling the late morning country air.

God, I am a fucking idiot.

Dean lifted his head and took several more calming breaths. He wasn't getting anywhere sitting in his car all morning. He needed to talk to someone who could explain all the complex matters to him.

He stepped out of the impala and started heading through the lot towards the small plot of land that Ash rented from Bobby in the back field.

"What the hell are you making all that noise for, son?" Bobby's voice grunted out.

Dean jumped. How long had Bobby been sitting on his porch? He looked across the large yard, over to Bobby's farm house. "Oh, uh, sorry bout that, Bobby. Just, uh, thinkin'."

"Well think quieter, idgit! What in the hell you got to think about for thirty minutes in your car on someone else's property anyway?" He huffed the question.

Dean felt his face flushing. So, Bobby had been there the entire time. Shit.

"Just, you know, stuff. I'm here to see Ash."

"Uh huh. Well, get to it, then." Bobby waved Dean away. Dean hurried off, still feeling his face burning with embarrassment.

…-^o^-…

Ash's camper was parked more or less permanently behind Singer's Salvage on the edge of a flat field with several wooded areas nearby.

As Dean approached, he was met with a strange sight.

Surrounding Ash's trailer were seven large, expensive looking tents. The kind where the people inside wanted all the luxuries of a house, but could still claim to be 'roughing it' to their friends.

Around a large fire pit, several men in nice suits were sitting on logs, chatting amicably and drinking coffee from a pot in the center. They looked completely out of place.

They glanced over at Dean as he moved closer, giving him several friendly waves. Unsure what else to do, Dean waved back forcing a stiff smile.

"Is, uh, is Ash in...?" Dean asked the strangers.

They nodded and one answered, "Yes, sir. Mr. Lindberg should be up by now."

Dean nodded, cautiously moving past the men to bang on Ash's door. After a few moments, it was pulled open to reveal Ash brushing his teeth. When he saw Dean, he held up a finger for Dean to wait, then hurried away.

He reappeared a few moments later, smiling broadly as he stepped out of the tiny camper. "Dean, my man! What is up? You're looking," he took in Dean appearance appraisingly, "Hmm. Better than I had expected."

Dean wasn't sure what to make of that. "Uh, yeah. I'm good. I just wanted to, you know, talk. About…stuff." He gave a short nod in the direction of the men around the campfire.

Ash nodded as he grinned, "Oh, yeah. Right-on, man. Don't mind the guys, they're buddies from some companies that are interested in my research. They're cool. We can talk in a more private setting over here." Dean followed as Ash strolled toward a raggedy hammock strung up near a pond further across the field.

When they arrived, Ash hopped up on a flat boulder, crossing his legs and grinning widely at Dean. "So, tell me all the juicy details- spare NONE!"

Dean frowned at him. "What? What details?" He shifted nervously where he stood as Ash chuckled.

"Aww, come on, dude. You and Castiel. Last night. Under the stage, you kinky fucker!" Ash laughed as Dean's face dropped in mortification.

"Y-you!? How the hell-?"

"Oh, I have my ways. Congrats, by the way. How do you feel? I can't imagine that was the most comfortable place to shack up with a dude for the first time. Did he even use lube? He must've, huh? You look fine."

Dean was at a loss. "Huh?"

"Lube, amigo. Did he use anything so you wouldn't be hurting?" He watched Dean's confused stare, before continuing in a slow voice, enunciating, "Did he lube it before sticking it in, bro?"

Dean's mouth fell open for the second time that day. He sputtered, getting furious, "I-! No, he wasn't-! I did the damn 'sticking'! Why the hell does everyone assume I was the-the 'bottom'!?"

Ash winked at Dean and turned a smile toward the camper and the occupants around the fire. Dean followed his gaze and realized that he had the entire group's attention. Fuck. Some were holding up thumbs-up signs. One was even throwing Dean a 'rock on' gesture. Dean gave a curt smile and a wave. Weirdos...

He plopped himself down on the boulder next to Ash, and covered his face with his hands.

Ash patted him on the back, still grinning. "My bad, dude. I just figured Castiel for a top. I mean, damn, he looks like he'd be the type. With that hot, authoritative stare and those sleek, panther-like muscles. Mmm."

"Ash," Dean suddenly growled raising his head slowly from his hands and meeting the man's eyes, "Shut up. Now."

"Whoa, man. No need to get jealous. I'm happy for you, man. I'll totally keep my hands to myself, right? I'm just saying, I hadn't expected him to be a bottom. Especially with you."

Dean glared at him and asked incredulously, "What do you mean, 'especially with me'? You expected I was just going to…to let him…-" Dean couldn't even finish the sentence, his throat closing tightly around the words.

Ash watched him with a solemn look. "Hmm. Okay, I think I'm beginning to see a small snag here. So, you're one of 'those' guys, huh? Can handle being gay, just as long as you can keep your manliness intact?" His voice wasn't harsh, but the words hit Dean hard, like a slap across the face.

"I-I don't know, man. I just, I know I can't do…that. It's nothing against Cas. It's just… I don't know, alright! I hadn't even thought about this kind of shit until Sammy brought it up this morning. I just figured it would be sort of like with chicks, just…um, a little different."

"Well, bro. I get it. Most newly gay men run into the same problem. And if Castiel was fine with it last night, then at least that means he's willing to accommodate you…for now, at least. So, I'm guessing you're at Casa de Ash to hit me up with questions? Well, shoot, brother."

Dean flushed, looking back towards the busy campfire before asking quietly, "Does it, uh, hurt when you…take it? Cas seemed pretty uncomfortable at first."

Ash was nodding before Dean even finished. "Well, it depends mostly. Did he use any lube or stretch himself first?"

Dean's face was bright red and he jumped up from his spot on the rock. "Dude! C'mon! That's…that's WAY too much information." Ash shrugged and waited. Dean paced for a few seconds, trying to calm down before answering, "Uh, well, no. I don't think he did anything special. I mean, we used a condom. But, that was it. It was dark, but I-I don't think he- er, he was preoccupied...with me, mostly."

Ash crossed his arms and winced sympathetically. "Well, he's probably regretting 'that' today. You see, buddy, it's a bit different with the back door. You gotta take a few extra steps, you know, make it a little easier. He must've been pretty excited if he decided to skip out on the preparation." Ash wiggled his eyebrows at Dean. "Of course, I could already assume as much by you guys' choice in venue."

"Geez, Ash. Lay off it, okay? I guess what I want to know is if there are any other ways I could fuck this up? I'm not really sure how to be, uh, you know…'gay'."

Ash grinned up at him. "Well, my friend. You came to the right place. Let me set you up with some 'tutorials' and a few special products. Trust me, you'll have this down in no time. Meanwhile, you and your smoking hot lover need to sort some things out. I know, I'm not usually the type to stifle the flames of new-found passion. But, you guys gotta make sure you don't go so fast you get burned. You feel me, bro?"

Dean frowned, nodding slowly as Ash hopped up and began heading to the trailer to grab the materials for Dean.

…-^o^-…

The sliding doors of the pet store opened as Dean approached, hitting him with the sudden scents of pet food and animals.

He moved in, his eyes scanning the large aisles of the store for Cas. He saw the tables for the Rescue's adoption event off to the far right and moved in that direction, his heart already racing.

He had just spent the last four hours being completely indoctrinated into the vast and confusing world of homosexuality under the tutelage of Ash. As far as Dean was concerned, this day would forever be known hereafter as 'Gay Day'. He had managed to escape finally, Ash loading him up with an enormous box filled with new lube samples, gay porn videos, books, and even a few 'items' that Dean had picked up curiously, then flung in terror across the car. Ash could probably open a store with all the unopened packages of kink he owned. He had explained off-handedly to Dean that he subscribed to several websites and online clubs that catered to his specific proclivities. Dean had gathered the items back together after his first horrifying perusal of the box, them tossed it into the trunk, praying he didn't need to have a police search done before he made it home. The last thing he wanted was for his friends at the station to find out he had gay stash.

As he moved closer to the tables, he realized that Castiel was nowhere in sight. He had spotted the man's bright yellow car outside. He frowned to himself as he took in the large group of women sitting and standing around the tables. There were nearly a dozen cages set up, most filled to the brim with excitedly hopping balls of fur. Only one cage was set apart from the rest, with a sheet draped over one side blocking the view of the other kittens.

Dean stepped closer unable to find the occupant. Suddenly a pair of bright green eyes flashed in the solid black darkness beneath the structure of a scratching post.

Dean leaned forward with a small smile and muttered, "Geez, buddy. What did you do to get put on maximum lockdown?"

Upon hearing Dean's voice, the small black body uncurled from it's hiding spot and darted forward to the front of the cage, hooking it's claw in the grating and letting out excited mews.

From in front of Dean, a loud voice barked happily, "Well, look at that! He sure seems to like you. That's really rare." Dean raised his eyes up to see several older women watching him with bright eyes. The woman who had spoken was already throwing open the cage door and reaching in for the cat. Dean watched as she man-handled Lucifer while he made a valiant attempt shred her already-scarred hand.

Next thing Dean knew, the small animal was tossed into his arms. Lucifer took a few moments to sink his claws into Dean's flesh in a panic, before gazing up at him. They stared at each other for another moment, before Dean felt Lucifer relax and begin nuzzling his shirt making loud purring noises.

The entire group of nearly a dozen women suddenly erupted into sighs and mutters. The woman who had tossed him Lucifer beamed, "Oh, yeah! You two are a match made in heaven. You know, we were worried we wouldn't find a home for that one. He's kind of a handful. His foster-dad should be around here somewhere…" She turned, looking around the area, "But, we can go ahead and start filling the paperwork out now. Let me just get a pen."

"Uh, wait! I- I'm actually not here for a cat. I just wanted to talk to-"

"Dean?"

Dean turned at the sound of Castiel's surprised voice.

The world and all its silly little problems seemed to disappear, just like that.

Dean grinned, face flushing. "Hey, Cas."

Castiel's face broke into a shy smile. "Hello, Dean."

…-^o^-…

They stared at each other, grinning stupidly for several seconds.

It wasn't until Debbie suddenly cleared her throat that Castiel realized how long they had been standing there, only a few feet apart, acting like awkward teenagers.

His eyes snapped over to the rest of the volunteers who were watching intently, eyes eating up the romantic tension.

Dean seemed to notice the stares, too. He shifted nervously, while Lucifer tried to roll over onto his back in Dean's arms, purring contently.

Dean looked flustered, trying to find his words. Castiel felt a warm fluttering in his chest, which he tried to force down.

Castiel turned to the expectant women behind the tables. "Ladies, this Dean. He's a friend of mine. Dean, these are the volunteers from the rescue."

Dean smiled hesitantly at the women. Castiel watched as Debbie frowned and sighed, "So, I guess he doesn't want a cat, then?" Dean shook his head slowly at her. "Whelp! Don't worry about it, Mr. Novak. I'm sure we'll find a good home for him."

She reached out to grab at Lucifer, and Castiel couldn't help but grin as Dean instinctually pulled Lucifer away from her reach. He seemed to realize what he had done, and blushed, glancing toward Castiel apologetically. He grudgingly handed the resisting kitten into Debbie's firm hands, and she tucked him back into the cage, giving him several rough strokes and ignoring the hard bites from the little animal.

"Did you want to speak to me, Dean?" Dean turned his frowning face away from Lucifer's cage. His smile returned as soon as he met Castiel's eyes.

"Um, yeah. I wanted to, uh…-" He glanced over and Castiel noticed that they still had the undivided attention of the women. "Is there somewhere we could, maybe-?"

"There's a coffee shop a few stores down." Castiel answered immediately. Dean beamed gratefully at him.

A few minutes later, they were seated on the patio of the coffee shop, sipping on their iced drinks under the warm afternoon sun. Castiel's heart was still thumping just as hard as it had the second he had finished his order and noticed Dean standing over by Lucifer's cage.

Castiel had actually been terrified all morning, ever since he woke up and the memories of the last night bombarded him.

How was Dean handling having sex with a man? More specifically, with Castiel? Did he wake up regretting their actions? He had seemed just as eager as Castiel last night, but once the rush of excitement wore off, would he still be okay with his actions?

Castiel had waited for a call from Dean. The dreaded 'last night was a mistake' call. Castiel had been on the receiving end of more than his fair share of those in the past. It was all part of his steadfast need to resist falling for straight men. Reality always caught up to them eventually.

But, Dean hadn't called, or even texted. He had shown up in person.

And the second he had turned around and smiled warmly at Castiel, he knew that they were okay.

Better than okay. He let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Everything was fine.

Dean wasn't going to run away.

After a few minutes of silence, with Dean casting nervous smiles at him, Castiel finally asked, "Dean, was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Dean's eyes widened slightly, and he looked away quickly. He turned back slowly, glancing carefully at Castiel as he asked quietly, "I just wanted to check that you were, uh, okay. You know, after last night. Um, down there."

Castiel had to fight back the laugh that climbed up his throat at the hushed question.

Dean was worried about him. He was concerned that Castiel was in pain. He came all the way out here on a Saturday to check on him. It was almost too sweet.

Castiel understood that Dean didn't have a full grasp on gay sex yet. He had realized it last night, when Dean hadn't understood his question about being on bottom. The lack of knowledge had certainly not dampened his enthusiasm, though.

"I'm fine, Dean. It, uh, was a little uncomfortable earlier, but I'm good now. I knew what I was doing. Don't worry about it, alright?"

Dean smiled, but hesitantly, and Castiel frowned.

"So, it's…not a problem? Um, you know, you being…ugh -" Dean let out a frustrated groan, dropping his red face into his arms.

Castiel laughed out loud, causing Dean's head to shoot back up. "I-I'm sorry, Dean." Castiel tried to school his features, but failed, chuckling, "It's just, I'm glad you are so… concerned about me. It's really nice. I'm not used to it." Dean blinked a few times, before breaking into an embarrassed smile. Castiel continued, "I'm okay with being on the bottom. I've had several boyfriends that weren't comfortable with me being on top. The last guy I dated was actually really strict about it. It's just one of those things that get worked out along the way. You don't need to be stressing out about it." He watched as Dean relaxed, his smile finally becoming more genuine.

"Hah. Good. I was a little worried about that, honestly. You're really okay with it?"

He turned his green eyes to Castiel, the bright sunlight illuminating them. His look of pure concern and hope almost caused Castiel to choke on his drink.

He fought the urge to just lose it and say 'Anything. I'm fine with anything. Just dial down on the adorableness before I jump you in public.'

Out loud he answered with a tight, "Of course, Dean."

"Thanks, Cas. Um, I also wanted to ask if you wanted to go out again tonight. There's a Bar-B-Que and fireworks at the park every Saturday this summer. But, uh, Sam and Jess and Benny and Anna will be there. So, if you don't want to…"

Castiel thought about it carefully. He had never actually made a point of hiding his sexuality. It was just one of those things that he omitted from conversations. It helped that Dean was the one asking him. If Dean wasn't worried about possibly being recognized as a couple, then Castiel certainly didn't mind.

Being seen with his perfect new boyfriend, Dean, the super-sexy mechanic/singer, who was totally sensitive and sweet, and 'wanted' to be seen with him...?

Yeah, Castiel had no problem with that.

None at all.

Castiel smiled brightly, not bothering to keep the excitement out of his voice, "I'd love to, Dean."

...-^o^-...

Bobby: deans guy

John: ?

Bobby: deans gator

John: ?

Bobby: dean is a homogenized

John: ?

Bobby: call me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Another exciting date for our boys, including:
> 
> Arcades
> 
> Ferris wheels
> 
> Cute name-calling
> 
> Our favorite Russian bar owner
> 
> Lucifer- cockblock extraordinaire
> 
> A Perfect Stormy Sunday.


	23. Fireworks and Thunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter comes with a FanArt request! If any of you super-talented folks are up for it, I am *dying* to see a picture of Castiel (Canon, with wings and trench coat), at a colorful claw machine called 'Hell', trying to win a chibi!Dean doll, which is surrounded by angry looking demon chibi dolls. I can totally see Castiel's concentration as he tries to 'Raise Dean From Perdition'. *OMG* How has that NOT been done yet?! 
> 
> This chapter has a Claw Machine scene, and that's ALL I could think about... -^o^- Definitely let me know if you come up with something! And of course, huge thanks for the Kudos and Comments so far!!

 

 

 

Sam sent out the mass text message at one p.m. Saturday.

S: D & C are official. Very official. Everyone stand down.

On the top floor of ADA Headquarters in San Diego, Gabriel's phone made the sound of a dog squeak-toy to indicate a text.

He read the text and sat the phone back down.

Then he stood and walked over to one of the large windows over-looking the city. It was a beautiful day in California.

Was it as beautiful today in Lawrence?

Was Castiel spending today with Dean and all his new friends?

Gabriel hoped so. He really hoped that Castiel was making the most of today as possible. That his little brother was fitting as much happiness as he could into his weekend.

Before it was over, and the real world caught up to him.

Gabriel stood in front of the windows for a long time, watching the bustling city sprawled out before him. Outside his office door, he could hear the hushed voices of the dozens of people gathered in the larger office area.

Damage control. That's what their jobs were.

Michael's voice occasionally rose above the rest, quieting the other voices as they listened intently to his inputs.

Gabriel considered what he was about to do. Who he was about to hurt.

Castiel.

Ruby.

Hell, the entire company.

But he had no choice. He wasn't the person that everyone needed him to be. But, maybe Castiel was...

There was really only one way to proceed.

He took a shaky breath, steeling himself.

He unlatched the window, the sudden strong rush of wind sending the paperwork on his desk flying in all directions around the office. Below him was an eighty-six floor drop.

He paused with a final sigh of regret for the people he was abandoning, and stepped through.

…((O_O))…

The pet store workers had spent almost an hour setting up all of Castiel's order in his apartment. He tipped them well and ushered them out hastily, wanting to hurry and get showered and dressed for the evening.

His evening with Dean.

Castiel felt as if nothing could shake his good mood. Everything was perfect for once in his life.

He had Dean.

He had a job that he enjoyed.

He had great co-workers who supported him.

And he had a new group of friends. Friends who accepted him.

It was almost as if his entire life had changed overnight. In just a few short weeks, Castiel had left his old life behind, wondering if he would ever be happy. Now he had Dean, and Dean's perfect life. It was incredible how he had never realized what he was missing. Never realized how miserable he was.

Castiel hummed as he got ready, laughing and teasing Lucifer as the black kitten hopped around Castiel's feet and scurried over the bathroom sink.

Castiel ended up being ready early- much earlier than necessary. Dean wouldn't be coming to pick him up for another forty minutes.

He checked his phone, and his smile wavered.

Neither Gabriel nor their father had answered his calls and texts from the day before. It was very unusual.

What was happening at ADA Headquarters? Were they both too busy to respond to him? Why?

Castiel frowned down at his phone, debating whether or not to bother Naomi or Ruby. If they were all working hard to take care of something, then he would only be an annoyance.

No, he decided. It wasn't his job to stick his nose into the upper level business. He worked on Think Tanks. He had 'wanted' to stay out of the upper level jobs. It was a choice.

His father and brother could handle those matters.

Castiel looked at the clock again. So much time…

He opened up his text message box and typed up a message to his friend, Balthazar.

C: Hello B. Is everything still going good in the UK offices?

After a few minutes he got a response.

B: Wouldn't know- at LAX airport waiting for a domestic transfer to SD. Some kind of drama at HQ. All hands on deck kind of thing. Know anything about that?

Castiel frowned at his phone. They had even called Balthazar in from the London offices? What could be going on that they would need executives from out of the country to be briefed in person?

C: No clue. Gabriel should be there, though. Tell him to call me when you see him.

B: : D

B: You're not coming, then? Too busy having a personal holiday with you not-quite-straight mechanic?

Castiel huffed a sigh, rolling his eyes. Of course he had mentioned Dean a few times to Balthazar. The man had been texting him almost non-stop to get the low-down on why he had suddenly ditched Dick, and how he was handling it. Balthazar had seemed genuinely concerned about him.

Then Castiel had met Dean. How was he expected not to mention him? It wasn't bragging. Technically.

C: Dean and I are good. Have another date tonight. BBQ and fireworks with some friends.

B: How very American. You should finish the evening out by eating some apple pie – off his bare body.

Castiel choked at the image. Did he have the ingredients for an apple pie in the kitchen…?

C: Worth noting. Have a safe flight.

Castiel noticed, with a frown, that his cell phone was dangerously close to dying. He was going to need to plug it in for a charge soon.

Later, he thought.

Castiel spent the rest of the time waiting for Dean mentally listing the ingredients for a pie to pick up on his next trip to the grocery store.

…-^o^-…

Mary: OMG

Mary: John is upset.

Mary: Bobby told him Dean was seriously dating a man. Did you put him up to it?

Ellen: $1000, check or money order, please.

Mary: ELLEN- ARE YOU BEING 100% SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!

Mary: DEAN IS GAY?! IF THIS IS A JOKE... : (

Ellen: Can you send my money Express? I saw some cute boots at the store...

Mary: OMGGGGG ELLEEENNNNNN! CALL ME NOW!

...-^o^-...

They arrived early to the large city park. Only a few crews had arrived and they were setting up the Bar-B-Cue pits and a few carnival rides. A towering Ferris Wheel was being tested in the distance, as well as a Merry-go-Round and several balloon bouncing houses for children.

After checking his phone, Dean announced that the other two couples weren't going to be arriving for another hour or so. He looked apologetically at Castiel, shrugging. "Guess we'll have to find something to do till then." He mumbled, grinning.

Castiel smiled back, "What were you thinking? There are a lot of shops around the square."

Dean gazed down the long length of the Main Street and his face brightened. He turned to Castiel and waved him to follow as he made his way excitedly down the sidewalk.

He led them to a large storefront with bright lights and loud noises. Several children and teens were weaving in between game machines. The sign above the business read 'Artie's Arcade'. Dean was already inside looking back at Castiel and motioning for him to hurry. Castiel grinned at his excitement.

It was loud inside. Castiel hadn't been inside an arcade since he was around eleven. Dean immediately pulled him over to the coin machines. Castiel was stunned as Dean pulled out two twenties and inserted both into the machine. He stuffed the handfuls of change into his tight jeans causing the pockets to bulge humorously.

He caught Castiel's smirk and grinned back, "My date. I'm paying again. Deal with it."

He pulled him over to the skee ball machines. Dean handed Castiel a coin, then moved to take the lane right next to him.

"You know how to play, right?" Dean asked.

Castiel nodded nervously and hit the start button.

After twenty minutes had passed, Dean had a large group of young followers cheering him on, and a massive pile of tickets extending from the machine. Castiel was taking pointers from several annoyed children that looked about seven or eight years old. They were shouting angrily at him and pulling at their hair in frustration. Dean was having difficulty maintaining his winning streak because he was laughing so hard at the look of total concentration on Castiel's face as he tried to follow the kids' instructions.

"Little bit different from ultimate frisbee, huh Cas?" Dean teased as he won yet another long reel of tickets.

Castiel threw him a silent, dirty look. Then, his face suddenly lit up with a bright, evil-looking smile and, to Dean's shock, the man began to lift his shirt. Dean dove over, pulling it back down, face flushed.

"Alright! Forget I mentioned it! Let's play something else, huh?" Castiel smirked, nodding.

Dean handed off his tickets to the group of kids surrounding them as they walked away. "What do you like to play, Cas?"

He looked over at Castiel, who seemed to think hard. His eyes scanned the various games until they landed on the Claw Machines. He pointed to them and smiled.

Dean cocked an eye-brow. "Claw machines? Seriously, dude?"

As it turned out, claw machines were to Castiel what skee ball was to Dean. The man was a fucking genius. Nothing was buried too deep or too far out of reach.

He ended up taking requests from excited kids, many of whom had followed them over from the skee balls. Dean applauded their self-interest. These kids knew that sticking around him and Cas would land them mad pay-outs.

Dean was becoming more impressed by the second as he handed coins over. Castiel even had a strategy for moving items off the tops of others. With each win, he passed the prize off to the children gathered around him.

Dean happily passed him over twenty coins, watching in amazement with the rest of the kids as Castiel seemed to pick up stuffed animals from impossible positions.

After a few more minutes, Dean saw Castiel's face break into a bright victorious smile. Dean realized that he had been completely focused on the man's face instead of the game. Castiel ducked down and came pack up holding a yellow minion with one huge goggled eye. He held it up for Dean to see, beaming as he stated, "Now Lucifer has two loyal minions."

Dean couldn't pull his eyes away from Castiel's bright blue ones. God, the guy was fucking hot when he smiled like that. Dean felt a tremor of longing run through his body.

Castiel seemed to read Dean's mind. His grin faltered for a moment. Suddenly, he tugged on Dean's hand.

Dean wasn't sure where Cas was leading them, but he prayed it was somewhere private. He had to fight to keep his hands off the man as they moved through the crowds. He gripped Castiel's hand tightly, squeezing to convey his growing sense of urgency.

They arrived near the front of the arcade where they had entered. Off to the side, by the entrance, there was a photo booth with a thick curtain. Castiel checked inside quickly before practically shoving Dean in and following closely.

Dean grabbed his waist as soon as he entered, swooping in for a kiss, but he let out a frustrated whine as Castiel blocked it with his hand, laughing.

"Nice try, Dean, but I actually want pictures." Castiel mumbled lowly. He nodded his head down to where the money was supposed to be inserted.

Dean huffed and muttered, "Who the hell actually uses photo booths for photos? S'not natural." But he pulled out the coins and inserted then anyway. After a few seconds, the machine kicked on, and indicated the count down for the photos. Castiel could see their images on the screen in front of them.

The first picture was awkward, both men looking as if they were grimacing in pain. As the machine counted down for the next picture, Dean suddenly leaned over and grabbed Castiel's head, planting a big kiss on the side of his stubbled cheek. Castiel blushed wide-eyed and turned to stare at Dean. Another flash went off. Dean leaned in and kissed Castiel on the lips, drawing out a moan from the man. Flash. Castiel's hands shot up, cupping Dean's head and deepening the kiss. Flash. They pulled back after a few seconds, smiling at each other. Flash.

The final flash was followed by a cheerful machine voice thanking them for using the photo booth. The lights dimmed back down. They continued to stare at each other, faces only inches apart.

A girl's voice from outside said, "Oh! I want to take pictures! C'mon Molly!"

The men pulled apart quickly and ducked back out. Two tiny girls darted inside before they even made it completely out of the booth. Dean pulled out the two prints from the slot on the outside. He looked at them, smiling, and his face abruptly turned bright red. Castiel reached out, snatching the small prints from his hand. He looked at them and felt his own face beginning to burn.

It was like a timeline of their kiss. Surprisingly good shots. But, it was the last one that caught Castiel's attention. They were turned away from the camera, facing each other, grinning. And the looks on their faces….

He swallowed deeply, handing one of the prints to Dean, not looking at him. He put his own print into his jean pocket. He saw Dean do the same out of the corner of his eye. Then, Dean pulled out the few remaining coins and placed them onto a nearby table. He turned and pulled at Castiel's shirt, and they exited the arcade.

"We should, uh, head over to the Bar-B-Que now. The others should be there." Dean mumbled, grinning down at the sidewalk.

"Yeah." Castiel agreed, looking anywhere but at Dean. They began walking back in a comfortable silence. Every once in a while as they walked, there hands would graze across each other's and the two men would pretend not to notice.

About half-way down Main Street a voice suddenly shouted, "Cas-sie!"

Both men turned and saw the large frame of Anton bearing down upon them, coming from his bar across the street. Dean had to fight the urge to run the opposite way. Something about a guy who could lift him from the ground one handed really worried Dean on a primal level.

Castiel seemed unaffected. "Anton, it's good to see you again. No, you can't have your money back."

Castiel turned, as if to continue walking, but Anton stopped him with a loud booming laugh. "No, no, Cas-sie. I am not here for my money. I miss you and your tiny brother. He has not called today. You will both play board games tonight? I can win my money back. I am good at Mono-poly." The eager face was almost humorous on such a huge, scary-looking man.

"Sorry, Anton, but it looks like Gabriel is stuck in California. And I, uh…" He glanced over at Dean and his face flushed. "I'm busy tonight."

Anton looked over to Dean sullenly, and for a moment Dean thought he saw a flash of… jealousy? Yikes...

The large man finally sighed dejectedly. "Okay, Cas-sie. Have a good night with your pretty-boyfriend." Dean and Castiel's jaws dropped simultaneously. "But, I will win my money back very soon. And you, pretty-boyfriend," he directed his sharp glare straight at Dean and the friendliness left his voice, "I will snap all of your bones and feed you to my dogs if you hurt Cas-sie. He is like angel. Too good for you."

Castiel buried his red face in his hands. Dean could only gape in horror as Anton held his eyes, threateningly. Then, abruptly, the huge man's smile returned and he waved cheerfully as he crossed the street back to his bar. "Have a good night, Cas-sie! Pretty-boy!"

Dean watched him go, then slowly turned his alarmed eyes to Castiel, whose face was still buried in his hands.

"Um…" Dean stuttered as the cold fear finally began to leave his system. He suddenly burst into horrified laughter, "…you, uh, wanna pretend that never happened?"

Through his hands came Castiel's muffled groan. "God, yes…."

…-^o^-..

Jo rushed through the gas station store aisles, hurrying to grab the items on her list. It was amazing how fast drunk people could get through ketchup. And even more amazing how her mother always failed to anticipate the quantities of ketchup needed every week.

She turned down and aisle, and waited as a woman leaned forward to pull a carton of milk from one of the refrigerators.

Jo looked up from her list at the same time that the woman turned and saw her.

"…holy shit." Jo gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Lisa…?!"

The woman tried to smile as she mumbled nervously, "Hello, Jo."

"Oh, fuck." Jo stated weakly.

…-^o^-…

"Who comes to a Bar-B-Que, and doesn't eat the Bar-B-Que?" Sam asked incredulously.

Both Dean and Castiel lifted their heads from their giant burgers, and stared at him. Dean swallowed his mouthful and answered, "People with refined tastes, that's who." Castiel nodded in agreement and they both returned to devouring their food.

The group was eating on top of their respective cars across the park, away from the large crowds. Dean and Castiel were sitting atop the hood of the Impala. Sam and Jess were cuddled together in the bed of Sam's truck.

Then there were Benny and Anna...

The rest of the group tried their best to ignore the couple wrapped tightly in each other's arms and whispering sweet-nothings to each other. It was almost disgusting how in love they were. All attempts to draw the pair away from each other or into conversations was a complete waste of time. As soon a one of them answered a question the other would practically simper about how smart or funny or perfect they were. It was driving Dean crazy.

The real clincher had been when they were all picking up their food by the grills. Benny had just ordered a pulled pork sandwich and Anna had leaned forward and waved at the server, "Oh, no. He doesn't need that!" She turned to look lovingly into Benny's eyes as she patted his belly, "We're watching our cholesterol, right Snookums?"

Dean had burst into laughter and responded, "Is that so, Snookums?" To his amazement, Benny didn't even glance at him as he nodded and smiled down at Anna.

"What do you think we should get, Honey-Bunny?" Dean almost double-over laughing at the pet names.

He turned to Castiel to see what he thought. To his surprise, Castiel was staring at the couple with an intense look of concentration. Dean grinned at the way his brows furrowed and he tilted his head.

Castiel finally turned his bright blue eyes on Dean, not even a crack of a smile showing, "What do you think we should get, Snuggle-Bear?"

Dean's smile dropped fast and he glared at Castiel who was blinking at him, waiting for an answer. "I don't think so, Cas! No weird cute-sy names. Nuh-uh!"

"You don't like it, Cuddle-Cake?" Dean cringed visibly and shook his head in disgust. Castiel finally began to lose his battle with a smile, his eyes sparkling with humor.

"If we're doing nick-names, I'm totally getting something manly. Like 'Sex Stallion'." Dean ground out.

"Oh, dude- come on!" Sam's mortified voice groaned from behind him. Jess had her face buried in his shirt, and the way her shoulders were shaking indicated she was trying to muffle her laughter.

She raised a trembling hand up to Dean, who high-fived it with a smirk at Castiel.

After they ate, the couples split up to look around. A few stands had been set-up with various merchandise. Dean and Castiel strolled through casually, chatting as they weaved around the crowd.

After a while, Dean noticed that Castiel's eyes were being repeatedly pulled away to fall on the massive Ferris Wheel structure. Dean flinched at the sight of it, intentionally pulling Castiel attention away with any distraction he could find.

Unfortunately, Castiel could only be deterred for so long.

A soft tug on Dean's shirt had him glancing back at Castiel, who was grinning and avoiding Dean's gaze. He muttered quietly, "Do you wanna...?" He nodded his head to Ferris Wheel.

Dean felt a chill sweep through him at the monstrous metal structure clawing high into the bright blue sky. He felt his throat begin squeezing shut.

"Uh. You know what? Nah. I think we're good. We're good, right?" He tried to chuckle but it came out as a ragged cough.

Castiel's face fell. "Oh, yeah. I guess that would be pretty noticeable, huh? Two guys on a Ferris Wheel. I'm sorry, Dean. I wasn't thinking."

"What? Oh, no, Cas. That's not-! I...I'm not worried about people talking. It's just, um..." Dean could NOT tell Cas the real reason he was reluctant to ride it. If he admitted that he was afraid of heights, then he would get the same look that everyone always gave him at the confession. The same questions. 'What are you afraid of? It's totally safe, you know? What, you think you will fall? That practically never happens!' And then the familiar mocking. 'Scaredy-cat', if he was lucky. 'Pussy', if he wasn't. 'Whiny little bitch', if it was Sam.'

No. Cas could NEVER know.

He smiled and shrugged. "It's just...you know, we had a lot to eat. My stomach is kind of unsettled." He patted it for emphasis, smiling weakly.

Castiel stared at him, blinking. "Your stomach hurts...?"

"Um, well. Not right now, but, it might...start...?" He finished lamely cursing himself.

Castiel's eyes narrowed in suspicion, then he suddenly smiled brightly. "Okay, Dean. It's no problem."

Dean released a sigh of relief.

His happiness was short-lived, however. Castiel turned away from him and called out across the crowd.

"Anton!" Castiel waved and Dean saw the large bulky frame of the Russian bar owner turn around. Castiel left Dean's side to walk over to the other man. Dean followed after him worriedly. Oh, fuck.

"Anton, would you like to join me on the Ferris Wheel?" Castiel flashed him a beautiful smile.

Anton returned his smile with a toothy one of his own. Before he could respond, though, Dean growled lowly at him and pulled at Castiel's arm.

"Nevermind, Anton. I'll go with him." Dean glared a warning at the large man, who sighed and shrugged.

"Always I am bridesmaid, never bride." The huge man muttered sadly. Castiel patted Anton's arm warmly as the man turned and left.

Dean allowed Castiel to half drag him to bottom of the Ferris Wheel where there was no line.

The operator didn't even look twice at the two men as he moved them into their seats. Dean watched Castiel's bright eyes as the machine began to crank them up and away from the ground. Dean felt like his stomach was being left behind.

They rose higher and higher before cresting the top and swinging back down swiftly. Or at least Dean thought that was what was happening. He had his eyes closed tightly, his hands locked in a death-grip on the side rail.

After a few minutes, Castiel's voice suddenly asked from the opposite side of the cart. "Dean...? Are you alright?"

Dean made the mistake of opening his eyes to glance at Castiel and got an eyeful of tiny bodies moving far below their cart. He whimpered.

"Dean? Are you- are you afraid of heights?" Castiel asked.

Dean refused to dignify him with a response. Mostly because he was sure he would lose his food if he opened his mouth.

Suddenly the cart was rocking and Dean's eyes shot open.

He looked in terror at Castiel, who was smiling innocently.

"...Cas...?" Dean warned lowly.

Castiel blinked. "Just answer the question, Dean."

Dean scowled, drawing his lips tight and refusing to speak.

Castiel cocked his eyebrow. Suddenly he rocked back and forth, causing the cart to swing.

Dean pitched forward. "OH-MY-GOD-! Dammit, Cas!" He leaned closely into the the side of the cart, closing his eyes tightly.

"Dean... Just admit it." Castiel sang sweetly, rocking the cart with each word.

Dean groaned and finally caved. "Alright! I'm afraid of heights! Are you happy!?"

Suddenly, the rocking stopped and Dean felt Castiel slide closely next to him. A hand covered his as it was clutching the metal railing.

Dean relaxed, opening his eyes slowly to look at Castiel's smiling face.

"You're a jerk, Cas."

Castiel chuckled, and grazed Dean's cheek with his mouth, planting a gentle kiss on it.

The Ferris Wheel shifted back into motion, causing Dean to stiffen again. Castiel squeezed Dean's arm for comfort, signaling down for the operator to let them off. As they began to move toward the bottom, Castiel whispered into Dean's ear. "You don't have to act brave to impress me, Dean. I'm already hooked."

Dean's face flushed warmly.

...-^o^-...

The group waited and chatted for the next hour until the sun slowly began to set. Large swarms of children were racing up and down the fields, waving sparklers and playing with soccer balls.

One of the balls got kicked their way and Dean hopped up to send it back. Shortly thereafter, he was drafted by the group, their small bodies hopping and dodging all around him as Castiel watched.

The kids were tough, trash-talking Dean and calling him old man, but it was obvious that they liked him.

Castiel couldn't help but imagine Dean as a father. He was a natural at it. Kids adored him, and he seemed to have no trouble handling them firmly but with a friendly smile. He was even good with Lucifer, and that was saying something.

He heard the familiar tone of his cell phone powering down in his pocket. He pulled it out and frowned. Should've charged it, at least a little bit when he had the chance earlier. Too late now. He put the phone back in his pocket and returned to more important matters. Like watching Dean get shown-up by ten year olds.

Soon after, Sam jumped up from his spot in the truck bed, vowing to even the score a bit against Dean's team. The dozen or so kids, plus the large audience of children that had formed, watched in awe as Sam's giant form ran over and tripped Dean up to steal the ball.

Soon Dean's team was beginning to lose.

Dean glanced over to Castiel, watching from the hood of the impala. "Hey!" he called his team over. "What do you say we have my friend, Cas, join us, huh?" He pointed at the man.

One of the younger girls frowned and spoke, "I don't know... Is he nice? He isn't as smiley as you."

Dean collapsed into bellowing laughter and wheezed, "Don't worry. Cas is super-nice. He just seems kind of intimidating at first. Give him a chance- I bet you'll like him!"

They nodded reluctantly, gazing nervously as Dean ran over to pull Castiel in to the game. He hesitated at first, seeing the looks the kids were giving him. But, Dean insisted.

Sam threw a fit, and pulled Jess onto his team.

They spent the next thirty minutes playing soccer with the children. Sure enough, Dean noticed, the children fell in love with Castiel. He was quick to tell them each when they made a good play, and offered encouragement when they messed up. He even made an effort to learn their names. It wasn't long before a horde of tiny little girls was following Cas around the field during the game and tugging on his hands to get his attention before running away squealing and blushing. And Dean didn't miss the approving stares from many of the mothers who were suddenly appearing on the sidelines to watch.

Thankfully, the game ended soon after, as the sky darkened.

Dean had been dangerously close to stripping off his shirt again just get Cas's attention back to himself. No shame.

Now as they sat in the cool darkness, waiting for the fire works, Dean pulled Cas in a little closer. There was the light sound of music playing from the Impala's radio. Both Dean and Cas were sitting on the hood, leaning against the windshield, sipping on bottles of soda. The groups of children were running wild in the distance in eager anticipation of the firework show.

Dean felt the warmth of Castiel's hand suddenly fitting into his own and squeezing warmly. At that exact moment, the loud whine of the first firework being launched cut through the air. The sudden burst of red light lit the darkness and illuminated Castiel's face. Their eyes met as more lights exploded, echoing in the distance, mingled with happy yells and shrieks from the kids.

Dean leaned over, just as Castiel did the same, there mouths meeting in the glow of colors. On the radio the hum of Bob Dylan's 'Knockin on Heaven's Door filled the silence between the bursts.

Ooh-ooh-oh-oohh

Momma take this badge off of me

I can't use it any more

It's getting dark

Too dark to see

I feel I'm knockin' on Heaven's Door

They pulled apart silently and leaned into one another, hands still gripped tightly between them as the music continued the slow, haunting notes and the sound of laughter and crackling fire works filled the night air.

…-^o^-…

"This is ridiculous, Gabriel. Open the door!" Michael demanded as he banged on the office door.

The elevator down the hall dinged, and everyone turned to see the security team approaching.

"What seems to be the problem, sir?" The head of security, Uriel, asked quietly. His soft tone was misleading. The man was massive, and had no qualms with strong-arming people. He had certainly earned his job over the years.

"It appears Mr. Gabriel Novak has locked himself in the office and will not answer us. He hasn't been out all evening." Naomi answered smoothly, her professional tone calm.

Uriel nodded in understanding, then stepped forward. With a solid kick that had everyone jumping in shock, the door to the office swung heavily from it's metal frame hanging barely off the now bent hinges.

Uriel stepped to the side, adjusting his blazer casually.

Michael stepped slowly inside, followed closely by Naomi, Ruby, Uriel and several others.

The office was empty and a MESS. Paper flew through the air as the wind whipped in through the open window.

The group stared in mute shock.

Michael approached the window cautiously and leaned out.

When he turned around, he addressed Naomi with a deathly silent voice that none-the-less echoed in the spacious the room.

"Naomi, could you please find out 'how' Gabriel came into possession of several large sheets."

Naomi blinked several times, before nodding. The rest of the group just stared incredulously.

A voice from the back called out helpfully. "Oh, that was me, sir!" The group parted and all eyes fell on Alfie, the long-term intern, who worked alongside Naomi. "I even knotted them together for him, just like he asked!" He smiled brightly.

Michael stared for a moment before asking in a dangerously low voice, "And, did you also happen to open the windows on the floor directly below this office, as well, Alfie?"

"Yes, sir!" Alfie nodded. He was suddenly standing very alone, the rest of the large group having cleared to a safe distance away from the young man. He didn't seem to notice.

"...And WHY would you do that, Alfie?" Michael asked, ice in every syllable.

Alfie paused at the question, frowning slightly. The his smile returned, wider than ever. "Because he's the new boss, and he asked me to, sir!"

Michael actually seemed thrown off by the answer. He gave the young man one final, calculating look before walking over to the large, oak desk. He paused, looking down at something, then reached out and pulled off a taped piece of paper sticking to the surface.

He read it slowly, as everyone waited.

Then his eyes glanced over at Ruby briefly, before falling onto Naomi.

"Prepare a jet to take yourself, Ruby and a small team to Lawrence, Kansas." He walked toward the door, handing the note to Naomi, and left the office. Everyone's eyes followed him until he was out of sight.

Naomi read the slip of paper and frowned, before handing it to Ruby.

Ruby had a sick feeling in her stomach as she took the paper:

Michael-I'm going to pass on the job offer.

Naomi-Please transfer Ruby's secretarial duties over to Castiel immediately.

Ruby-I need you to stick close to Cassie. He's going to need all the help he can get. I'm sorry.

Ruby read and re-read the short note. After several minutes, Naomi's voice cut through her thoughts.

"We'll make preparations to leave for Lawrence first thing in the morning. Be packed and ready to go by eight o'clock." She turned and addressed the awed group standiing around the office and in the outer atrium. "Everyone else, please get back to your duties. We have a lot of work to do and we can't afford to slack now."

"I would like to come with you, as well, Naomi." A confident voice stated from just outside the office door.

Naomi looked up and nodded slowly, "Very well, Mr. Roman. I'll make the necessary arrangements."

She followed the rest of the group out, leaving only Ruby standing alone in the empty office. Naomi shut the door with a loud click.

After a few moments, a sudden violent crash shook the doors and desks of the entire floor.

"Uriel," Naomi spoke without looking up, as the Security Manager and the rest of the workers stared in alarm at the office door. "Once Ruby has calmed down, please send some men into the office to turn the desk back upright."

"Yes, ma'am," Uriel eyed the closed office door with drawn brows as more worrying thumps and crashes came from inside, before he asked quietly, "And Gabriel Novak, ma'am? Should we try to locate him? He couldn't have gone far."

Naomi sighed, rubbing her eyes. "No, Uriel. It appears Gabriel Novak has made his decision. I doubt he'll be found if he doesn't want to be."

…-^o^-…

They fell over twice in a tangle of groping limbs, mouths locked together, before they made it to Castiel's door later that night.

After collapsing ungracefully on the hard-wood floor inside the apartment, Castiel kicked the door shut with his foot while Dean lavished kisses up and down his neck.

Castiel ripped desperately at Dean's shirt, yanking it over his head. Dean tried to do the same, but Castiel had reached both of his hands down into Dean's pants, squeezing his ass hard. Dean growled in frustration, reaching back to pull at Castiel's arms so he could remove the man's shirt..

Castiel laughed, wiggling quickly out from underneath Dean. Dean lunged and tried to capture the man before he could hop up, but only managed to grab the cloth of his pants. Dean reached his other hand over and gripped more of the fabric. But, suddenly the man's pants and boxers were falling to the floor as Castiel chuckled deeply and slipped out of them with ease.

Dean watched stunned from where he lay on his stomach on the dark floor, as Castiel stood, pulling his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor, as well. The faint lights shining through the large living room windows lit up his smooth skin and toned muscles as he grinned at Dean and turned to walk towards his room. Dean lay frozen, his eyes watching the subtle sway of Cas's ass disappear down the hallway.

"Son of a bitch-!" Dean murmured, before scurrying up and tripping over himself to pull off the rest of his clothes. He thudded hard into the wall, and knocked everything off the small table by the door. The sound of sharp thuds and clangs echoed loudly in the vast silence of the living room.

He practically ran to the bedroom, sliding almost a foot as he caught the frame of the bedroom door to stop himself. In the dim light of the room, he could see the pale flash of Castiel's skin sitting atop the dark ocean of sheets and pillows. Dean dove for him.

Castiel laughed, wrapping his legs around Dean's waist as he pulled them into the center of the huge bed. Dean's laid kisses across Castiel's face until he finally found the man's lips. Castiel bucked his hips up, grinding against Dean's erection. Dean broke the kiss to gasp in a groan, before returning his lips to Castiel's and deepening the kiss.

Castiel's hot hands slid across Dean's back, down to grasp his ass cheeks again, kneading them hard and enjoying the feel of the firm muscles. Dean hummed into his mouth, and thrust his hips down against Cas again, the friction of their hard cocks rubbing against the tight space between their stomachs causing them both to pull away and gasp for air.

Castiel released Dean's ass to reach between them, running his hand firmly up and down Dean's shaft.

Suddenly, Dean's body shot straight up, pulling out of Castiel's grasp with a high pitched shriek.

"WHAT THE-?! AHH!" Dean yelled, hopping off Castiel completely and spinning around and wide-eyed, his eyes searching the sheets as he gasped for breath.

"Dean? What's wro- WHOA! Shit-!" Castiel cursed, as claws and warm fur darted heavily across his chest. "Fuck-! Lucifer!"

The darkness made it almost impossible to see the animal as it made another pass around the bed, bouncing over Castiel in a flash and hopping up quickly to Dean's shoulder as he tried to catch hold of the cat.

"Fuck! He's too fast! Where'd he go?!" Dean's breathless voice asked hurriedly in the silence. Castiel felt the bed shifting as Dean threw himself forward, arms wide and ready to grip the small animal.

Castiel rolled fast to the edge of the bed, his hand slamming painfully into the hard surface of the nightstand. "Ow! Hold on, Dean. Wait!" He fumbled for several seconds until the light of the bedside lamp clicked on. He winced at the sudden brightness, turning to see Dean's naked body poised at the end of the bed, sitting up on his knees blinking painfully.

"Dean! Beside you-!" Too late, Lucifer shot from the dark folds of the sheets, digging into Dean's chest and shoulders with his claws as Dean's hand shot up to catch the animal.

They both suddenly disappeared over the side of the bed, a loud thump rattling everything in the room.

"Oh, fuck-! Dean!? Are you okay!?" Castiel shot off the side of the bed and stumbled around to the end. Dean was lying on his side, holding onto Lucifer's struggling little body tightly.

"Dean? Are you hurt?" Castiel knelt beside him, running his hands hurriedly over his body.

"Ugh…ow…." Dean managed, slowly rolling into sitting position.

Castiel gripped Lucifer tightly, pulling him from Dean's hands. "Dammit. I'm so sorry, Dean! I completely forgot about him." He stood and darted to the entrance of the bedroom, crouching down and tossing Lucifer gently as far as he could down the dark hallway. Then he slammed to door quickly before the small animal could dart back inside.

After few moments of silence, the sound of scratching and loud mewling came from the other side.

Castiel huffed a sigh, letting his forehead thump against the door for a moment while he caught his breath and groaned. "Dean. I am so, so sorry." He turned back to face the bed and saw Dean hunched over, shaking with laughter. "Dean…? You CANNOT think that was funny. Dean?" Castiel growled lowly, "Stop laughing- that was embarrassing! Dean-! I said knock it off!" Castiel had reached the bed, growing more frustrated by the second. Dean was practically crying from laughter, his deep, gasping laughs filling the bedroom. Castiel grabbed one of his many pillows, and without thinking slammed it hard against Dean's huddled form on the floor.

Dean flinched and grabbed at the pillow, still laughing uncontrollably. "Haha! That was the most, haha, most amazing cock-block I've ever seen!" Castiel finally gave up on the pillow and tackled Dean instead, pushing him backwards onto the bed. He covered Dean's mouth and cheeks with hard, angry kisses. Dean's laughter faltered as he tried to catch Castiel's frowning mouth with his own.

Castiel couldn't keep his straight face, and he suddenly began chuckling, too. For the next several minutes, both men lay at the end of the bed, holding onto each other and shaking as they laughed.

When they were finally able to breath again, Dean scooted himself backwards on the bed, back to the center, Castiel following hungrily, refusing to break their kiss. Once they were back to the head of the bed, Castiel reluctanlty pulled away, stretching himself over to the edge to switch the light back off.

Dean grabbed his arm pulling him back and muttering, "Leave it on- don't want anymore surprises." He grinned up at Castiel, then made an obvious sweep down and back up Castiel's body with heated eyes before adding with a wink, "And I like the view..."

Castiel buried his face in Dean's neck, chuckling as he planted breathy kisses all over. Dean rested on his back stroking Castiel's hips and moaning as Castiel ran his warm hands across his broad shoulders and down to his abs. Castiel shifted his kisses, trailing them lower, down Dean's chest. Then lower still...

Dean's breath quickened as he watched Castiel's lips trail down to plant kisses along the length of his throbbing cock.

Feeling it was one thing, but seeing it was…something else. Castiel's hair was shooting up at every angle possible. His lips were swollen from kisses, and his cheeks flushed from lust and laughter. His strong hands were kneading gentle circles along Dean's thighs.

Castiel's blue eyes glanced up, locking onto Dean's, and he smirked. Before he could lean forward to take Dean into his mouth, he found himself being pulled up by a sharp tug at his hair.

Dean reached out for his arm, pulling him further up and rolling him onto his back.

"Dean-" Castiel started in frustration, but then he stared up at Dean's face and shuddered. Dean looked like he was about to snap, his breath coming out in short, shaky breaths as he dipped down for sharp bites and soothing kisses all over Castiel's body.

"Dean…now…!" Dean's hips ground once, then twice against Castiel's, causing him to moan needfully, and press up for more contact.

"Cas…" Dean's voice begged from where he was leaning in, lavishing kisses and licks over his nipples. "Cas, I need…Fuck, I want you so bad-" His hips bucked against Castiel's again.

Castiel hissed in pleasure, tugging sharply on Dean's short hair. He somehow forced the words out, "Then do it, for God's sake!"

Dean stopped nibbling on his collarbone and lifted his head up, annoying Castiel even further. His deep voice was choked and desperate, "I-I can't- you need lube- Where...?"

Castiel made a weak keening sound, then moved so fast that Dean was left stunned. He rolled over and fumbled with the drawer of the nightstand, pulling out a small bottle and squeezing it quickly onto his hand. He returned hurriedly to Dean, grasping his hard shaft and smoothing the lube over it quickly, drawing a short moan from Dean.

Castiel's hand with the lube on it disappeared behind him as he leaned warmly on his knees up against Dean for support.

Dean's lust-hazed mind realized that Cas was stretching himself and he felt a wave of annoyance. He'd had to listen to Ash lecture this part in detail for nearly thirty minutes today, and he wanted an opportunity to try out his newfound knowledge. He grabbed at Castiel's hand, interrupting the wonderful little moaning noises he was making. Pushing him onto his back, Dean spread Cas's long legs legs wider for better access.

He met Castiel's eyes as the man stared up at him, and was amazed by the amount of hunger he saw there. "Dean...Hurry. Up." Castiel ground out, writhing beneath him.

"Impatient." Dean chuckled, planting a kiss on Castiel's mouth and rubbing his hand over his own slick dick with a groan, then bringing his hand up to Castiel's entrance.

He ran his finger carefully over the already slick bud, drawing a short gasp from Cas, then slowly pushed in. Castiel moaned huskily beneath him and clenched-up, before slowly relaxing into the sensation. Dean moved his finger in and out just a few more times, before carefully adding a second digit. Castiel reached out, nails digging into Dean's shoulder as he gave him a pleading look.

Dean pushed his fingers in more slowly, scissoring them carefully, and taking his sweet time to ensure Cas would be fine. Cas, apparently, wasn't willing to wait that long.

Suddenly, Castiel pulled Dean's head up to meet his eyes, staring intently into them. His voice was raspy and held the very real promise of a threat. "Dean. If you don't fuck me right now, I'm going to handle it myself without you."

Dean huffed a light laugh at Castiel's desperation. He nodded and shifted Castiel's legs up to his shoulders, Cas eagerly moving with him, sliding himself forward. Dean carefully positioned himself at Castiel's tight entrance and pushed as gently as he could manage, relishing as the heat swept slowly over him.

His efforts were completely wasted however, when Castiel wrapped his legs tighter and bucked, taking Dean almost all the way in, with a small, muffled shout of pain that extended into a low growl of pleasure.

"Fuck-!" Dean couldn't handle it anymore. He began thrusting hard, pressing himself deeper and deeper into Castiel's heat. He could feel Castiel clenching around him as he moaned and gasped with each thrust.

The sounds of their warm, sweating flesh smacking together mingled with their moans and hoarse shouts.

Castiel's hands tugged harder at Dean's hair, his hips beginning to buck erratically. Dean was also losing his control fast, Castiel's cries getting louder and louder near his ear.

He felt the moment Castiel came, his nails digging into his scalp. The sharp pain mixed with the tightening around his cock sent him over the edge almost at the same moment.

His body clenched tightly as he came inside Cas. He collapsed heavily on top of Castiel's shuddering body, gasping as he tried to recover. It took several minutes before he could pull himself out and roll limply to the side. Castiel was making strange sounds, almost like purring. The noise vibrated gently up through Dean with each contented breath the man took.

"Fuck...fuck…fuck…That was…fuck…" Dean tried to gasp out words while his body continued to hum.

Castiel shook with weak laughter beneath him. "Ditto…"

Dean felt Castiel's arms wrap around him, warming his chilled body. Their breathing settled after a few more minutes. Dean was almost asleep when he felt Castiel begin to shift from underneath him gently. Dean tightened his grip and groaned irritably.

Castiel chuckled, whispering softly into his ear, "Just stay here. I'm going to clean up. Be right back." He kissed the top of Dean's head as he scooted away. Dean groaned again as Castiel's body heat disappeared.

Dean felt the bed shift as Castiel stood and moved away.

Suddenly, there was a loud thump. Dean's head shot up, eyes blurry and he rolled himself weakly to the edge of the bed and looked down. Castiel was struggling back to his feet, face bright red as he made a point to NOT look over at Dean.

Dean snorted, "How you doing over there, champ? Reconsidering being so impatient, huh?"

"Shut up..." Castiel grumbled, embarrassed, as he wobbled his way to the bathroom on shaky legs.

Behind him, he could practically 'hear' Dean smirking.

…-^o^-…

A crack of thunder woke Dean Sunday morning.

It was dark, and he was nestled very tightly in the heat of Castiel's arms. The other man was practically fuzed to Dean- arms and legs wrapped around him, pulling him impossibly close to his heated body. Dean tried to go back to sleep, wiggling himself even closer into the warmth pressing against his back as he leaned his head into the crook of Castiel's arm.

Several loud, pathetic meows came muffled through the bedroom door, pulling Dean back from his dreams.

Lucifer had made another attempt to join them in the bedroom last night, when Castiel had gone to the restroom. Castiel had still been upset with him for the interruption earlier and had placed him back outside the room, before turning off the light and joining Dean in the bed.

Another loud boom of thunder caused more desperate meows, and Dean could hear the sound of desperate scratching at the bedroom door.

Apparently Lucifer wasn't a fan of storms.

Dean began to blink himself awake, trying to keep from waking Castiel behind him.

...Behind him?

Dean's eyes shot open and he turned his head, lifting it slightly.

No fucking way- I'M the little spoon? What the-?

Dean took in their positions. How the hell did that even happen? They had definitely gone to sleep facing each other.

Dean frowned as a flash of lightning lit the room followed several seconds later by yet another blast of thunder echoing through the room.

It wasn't…uncomfortable, Dean noted. In fact, he kind of…liked it.

More meowing reminded Dean that Lucifer was upset. Dean very carefully tried to twist and writhe his body carefully away from Castiel's. The guy had a damn death grip on him.

With much difficulty, Dean managed to free himself, stuffing several pillows into his place, and watching with amusement as Castiel pulled them closer to himself, burrowing.

Fuck, he looked hot like that. The sheets were pooled low across his hips, exposing his pale chest. His hair was a mess and his face was relaxed as he dreamed. Dean stared at the scene for several moments. Finally, he made a decision.

He walked to the door, opening it slowly and making a quick grab as Lucifer darted inside. He hugged the kitten close, patting him soothingly as he found his pants by the door. Reaching inside, he pulled out his cell phone and turned to go back to the bedroom.

His eyes caught on a massive structure sitting by the living room wall, making him pause. It was a HUGE cat clubhouse, or something. It had everything-hammocks, holes, toys dangling from it. A glance at the wall showed new shelves leading all the way up to the alcove Lucifer had previously gotten stuck in.

Dean stared, grinning for several moments. God, Cas was adorable.

He returned quietly to the bedroom. Holding the purring cat in one hand, and his cell phone in the other, he managed to snap a good picture of Castiel asleep.

He smiled widely as he viewed the photo.

Yeah. That's gonna be handy the next time Cas gets stuck in one of his Brain Tanks.

More lightening flashed outside.

Feeling proud of himself, Dean stepped back out of the bedroom and shut the door. Sitting Lucifer down, he walked over to his clothes again and slid on his boxer briefs carefully over his already half-hard cock.

He made his way to the bathroom, and discovered that the light wasn't working.

Shit. Power outage, he thought.

As he finished his business and stepped back out to the hall, Lucifer weaved in between his feet. Dean reached down to pick him up again, walking over to the large windows and staring out. The weather was bad. Deep, black clouds were rolling quickly across the sky.

Dean frowned as he watched them. Tornado weather.

As if to support his theory, thunder shook the the windows violently.

He picked up his phone, checking the time. Eight Twenty-seven a.m.

He called Sammy.

'Dean? What's up?' Sam's tired voice answered.

"Just checking on you. Weather looks bad."

'Yeah. They were calling for severe thunderstorms all day. Power's out pretty much everywhere. Possibility of tornado watches, maybe even some warnings across the state. Are you, uh, at Castiel's place?'

"Yeah. Fourth floor. Lots of windows. Probably seemed like a good idea to a guy from California." Dean replied with a chuckle.

'You gonna camp out there? You can bring him here to the house. I've got Jess here, too. Just in case it takes a turn for the worse.'

"I wouldn't want to risk it," Dean answered. "Might run into more trouble driving in this weather. We'll camp out for now and check what the weather updates are. Stay safe, Sammy."

'Yeah, you guys, too."

Dean hung up with a sigh, and proceeded to check the weather alerts on his phone. No tornado watches out yet.

Lucifer stuck a paw out to bat at the bright screen on the phone. Dean cuddled him closer, staring out at the messy weather.

…-^o^-…

Castiel awoke to the sound of an earthquake shaking him in the bed.

He bolted up in alarm, preparing to dive for cover.

It took several moments for his head to clear enough to realize that 1) He wasn't in California. 2) The shuddering was not an earthquake, but actually thunder. And 3) Dean was NOT where he was supposed to be- namely, cuddled in Castiel's arms.

He rose from the bed, noting that the door to the bedroom was closed. He padded out quietly and stepped into the living room.

Dean was standing by the window, his back facing Castiel. He was wearing a pair of black, extremely short boxer briefs and nothing else. Castiel let his eyes roam hungrily up the man's toned legs to his perfect, tight ass. Above that, his torso widened into smooth, broad shoulders. Castiel let his eyes drift back down to the perfect dimples of his lower back. They looked like they needed to be licked…

"See something you like?" Dean's quiet voice asked across the room. His head turned to show his smirking face. Lucifer's head lifted up over Dean's shoulder to stare at Castiel.

Two sets of green eyes locked on to his. Castiel felt a small shudder pass through him. He thought again, how natural Dean would seem as a father. He held the small cat close, patting it's back gently and Castiel felt his stomach clench.

"Why aren't you naked and in my bed, Dean?" Castiel asked lowly, narrowing his eyes.

Dean's smile widened, "My bad. Didn't realize old guys recovered so quickly."

Castiel smirked at the jab. "I'd be happy to correct that misunderstanding."

…-^o^-…

The rest of the Sunday was spent with Dean discovering exactly how in shape Castiel actually was. During their brief interims between sex, they cuddled on the sofa and watched the storm passing.

They had no idea about the storm that was approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourselves for the next chapter. Shit's gonna hit the fan in a big way. It's time for the real drama to start...
> 
> Next up: The implosion begins.
> 
> Where are Daddy and Bubba Novak?
> 
> Dick.
> 
> A yellow bouquet.


	24. When Exes Converge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright-fair warning: the drama is really going to start picking up from here. I try to keep the humor going strong, but this story has healthy doses of ALL the good stuff, including drama and the occasional touch of angst. Those of you who eat that stuff up are going to LOVE all the twists and turns coming up. The rest of you- buckle up... ; D 
> 
> I'll be hanging out down in the Comments Section if any of you want to rant or cry or guess what's going to happen next!

Castiel hobbled into work Monday morning.

His entire body was pleasantly sore- a result of spending an entire stormy Sunday making love with an extremely enthusiastic mechanic. No complaints there.

He was even running late this morning, thanks to said mechanic.

Okay, so, technically Castiel had been the one who woke Dean up via blow job. But, Dean had been the one who had taken it further, returning the favor.

Castiel was still amazed. Dean's learning curve was almost terrifying. Only a few weeks ago, the man hadn't even considered having sex with a man. But by late last night, Castiel was having trouble keeping up with him- and he had YEARS of experience.

It wasn't hard to understand how Dean had been so popular with the women. He was incredible in bed. Insatiable. A little rough…

Castiel tried to walk normally as he entered the ADA building, smiling to himself in the elevator. Lawrence needed to have more severe storms, in his opinion. Being trapped in an apartment with Dean for an entire Sunday was his new favorite past-time.

The elevator finally dinged, opening up on the ninth floor. Castiel stepped out, lost in thoughts about sexy mechanics and apple pies.

He looked up to find a crowd gathered around Charlie's desk.

All eyes turned to stare at him.

Oh, shit.

…-^o^-…

Tyler had never been happier than in the last few weeks.

The Big Gerson's restaurant in the obscure Nevada town had gone to incredible lengths to welcome Tyler and his mother back frequently. The staff knew him and his mother by name and always made a point of greeting them cheerfully.

It was such a dramatic change from the years they had spent in the solitude of their home, afraid of hateful whispers and frowns.

Now even other regular customers were coming over to say hello to them. It was like a family had formed in the small-town restaurant.

Tyler's mother grinned happily as an elderly couple chatted with her and spoke merrily to Tyler. The Perigo's were particularly nice to Tyler, revealing soon after meeting, that they had a grand-daughter with autism. They spent several minutes discussing the best school programs available and summer sports leagues for special children.

As they spoke, Tyler's mother noticed a new face sitting off by himself. He was a short man, with brownish-blond hair, sipping slowly on a soda as he stared down at what looked like a photo in his hands. A massive slice of 'Super-Fudge-Choco-Sludge Mud Cake' was half-eaten in front of him. As she watched, he kept his sad eyes on the photo while bringing another massive bite to his mouth.

There was nothing strange about him, aside from the near-deadly dose of sugary confections he was half-heartedly eating. But he seemed sad. Maybe…burdened was the better word. A familiar feeling, the woman noted, glancing back to her now-grinning son.

She waved over the young waitress.

"Excuse me, Wendy. Has that man received his bill yet?"

"No, ma'am." The waitress answered, casting a quick glance at the solitary figure.

"I'd like to go ahead and pay for his meal, please." She stated with a small smile. The waitress smiled back, nodding knowingly.

Sometimes the smallest gestures could make the biggest impact on people. The elderly blue-eyed stranger had taught her that.

…-^o^-…

Castiel sat heavily down on his desk chair as Naomi shut his office door. It was just the two of them in the office.

He placed the bright yellow bouquet of flowers gently on his desk, staring at them in a state of shock.

"Naomi…" He began weakly.

"Please wait, sir." She answered quickly, before moving to the corner of his office, pulling a chair with her. She stood on top of it and reached up to the small camera positioned there, yanking it from its cord.

The small cameras could be found everywhere in all the ADA offices. Most employees never gave them a second thought. Castiel was surprised that Naomi took his down. He was even more surprised when she approached his desk, lifting his large phone and opened it. She pulled out a small device and promptly crushed it.

Castiel sat in shock, watching. Was that a…'bug'? His phone was actually 'tapped'?

She finally sat the phone back down and moved to stand in front of his desk. "I apologize, sir. I'm afraid…precautions must be taken." She paused, looking down at the floor, before continuing quietly, "We tried to call you yesterday, sir. Several times."

Castiel stared at her, then remembered his phone was still dead. He had forgotten to charge it once the power had been restored sometime during the night. He had been distracted…by Dean.

"Naomi, what…" His mind was searching for where to even begin. His eyes landed on the bright flowers. Castiel had barely had time to recover from his shock at seeing so many people watching him, when the flowers had been handed to him.

By none other than Dick Roman.

"Why is Dick here?" He asked, his voice strained.

Naomi nodded her head slowly, as if understanding his concern, "I'm afraid he has a role to play in all this. He is within his rights to ask to be here."

"For what? What is this, Naomi? Where is Gabriel? Ruby's out there, so he's here, too, right?"

She frowned and finally met his gaze. "Sir. There are a great deal of things that I need to explain to you. It's going to be…difficult to deal with at first."

Castiel nodded numbly, his features becoming serious as he prepared himself for whatever she had to say. He knew it was going to be bad. The rumors that everyone was mentioning. The emergency meetings. The recalls from out of the country. His father- and now Gabriel- not returning his calls.

Naomi took a deep breath and began, "About a year ago, we realized that the company had been infiltrated by a high-level corporate spy. Sensitive information was being leaked to our closest competitor, the CPOA. In addition to the leaked data, we also discovered significant amounts of money were disappearing from the company account."

Castiel felt like ice water was pulsing through his veins. His father's company was…being attacked? Naomi pressed on, "We couldn't pin point the mole or moles. The best we could determine was that it was someone very senior to the company, most likely in an executive or presidential position. The losses to the company have been very damaging. As it stands, we may need to shut down multiple branches just to make headway. Even that would only be a temporary fix if we cannot locate the leak and the missing money."

Castiel tried to breath, his mind racing. "Naomi, that's…that's insane. The number of lay-offs involved…we can't just close whole branches down all of the sudden. The ADA is one of the top employers in this country, not to mention all the others."

Naomi nodded, her face grim. "Yes, sir." She hesitated. "That's not all, though." Castiel couldn't imagine what else could possibly be compounded onto corporate espionage and mass lay-offs. "About two weeks ago your father left."

Castiel's head snapped up in confusion. He asked, already dreading the answer, "Left…?"

"He disappeared without warning. All he left behind was a note- instructions for the running of the company. They are legally binding." At this point, she made eye-contact with Castiel and spoke very clearly, "He essentially placed his leadership responsibilities and duties into the hands of his next closest blood relations." Castiel began to feel lightheaded, his chest tightening,"We notified Gabriel of his responsibilities last Friday, and we briefed the Board members of the state of the company."

Castiel sat in shocked silence for several seconds after she spoke. It was almost impossible to understand. Their father had devoted his entire life to the company. He wouldn't just abandon it suddenly.

He finally rasped out, "Where is Gabriel? I…I need to speak with him. We need to…we need to find our father."

Naomi looked away from Castiel, down at the floor. "Gabriel has… disappeared, too sir. He also left behind a note, like your father."

Her business-like voice shifted into something more gentle and soft, "I'm so sorry, Castiel. But you are now officially the Head of the ADA."

Castiel's heart stuttered, and he was sure it was going to stop completely.

He was in charge of ADA.

The entire company was in his hands. All the thousands of employees across the globe.

His eyes landed to a stray jelly bean on the floor by the wall. Just last week Gabriel had been in here, sitting with him and teasing him about his crush. Asking him what he wanted to do that evening after work.

Now Castiel was alone. He was responsible for dealing with corporate espionage, embezzlement, and lay-offs.

"Fuck." Castiel breathed incredulously.

…-^o^-…

The tension outside the office was thick.

Charlie had no idea what was going on.

Many of the faces were new. They looked... serious. Stressed, but still very professional. Most of them stood patiently along the walls, going over paperwork that they pulled from their expensive looking briefcases.

Crowley was there, looking extremely nervous. His eyes kept darting to the tall, handsome man standing calmly near Jess's desk. The man looked like the epitome of relaxed and confident. Occasionally, one of the other people would approach him cautiously, holding up a document for his approval. Their behavior combined with Crowley's gave Charlie the impression that he was someone very important. He occasionally smiled, but it didn't make Charlie feel better. His smile was freakishly perfect. Fake.

Plus, he had strolled over and given Castiel a huge bouquet of flowers and a quick peck on the cheek as soon as the stunned man had stepped out of the elevator. Even Jess and Anna gaped at the intimate gesture.

And Castiel had just…stood there, staring at the man, then down at the flowers, then back.

Charlie couldn't figure it out. She needed some information.

She turned to glance over at Ruby.

Now THAT was an even more worrying sight. Ruby was, by Charlie's own accounts, a 'bitch'.

She lost her temper easily and always had a cutting remark handy whenever someone crossed her. She wasn't a bully, necessarily. She was…strict. Harsh. Critical, even. When she didn't like someone, she was quick to let them know.

That was why Charlie and the other secretaries didn't get along with her. She had immediately zeroed in on Anna's meekness, furious that the young woman allowed people to walk all over her. In Ruby's book, showing weakness was close to a sin. People had to be tough, women especially. One woman propagating the 'weak-female' stereotype set all women back decades.

Her beef with Charlie was something else entirely. Neither woman admitted it, but it basically came down to Gabriel.

The man had immediately become friends with Charlie when she had first started working at the ADA. He had given her the nick-name 'Red' and even tried to recruit her to his offices upstairs. Charlie had been down for it at first, liking Gabriel's easy going attitude, and sharing a common interest in attractive lady-folk.

But, Ruby didn't know Charlie was only into women at that time, and had felt threatened. So, naturally she had lashed out. The snarky jabs and hateful attitude went on for several weeks before Charlie lost her shit and shouted angrily for the entire office floor, including Gabriel, to hear, "Dammit, chick! I am not trying to get into Gabriel's pants! His dick is all yours- I don't want it!"

Nobody spoke of that day, except in hushed whispers in the shadows of the break rooms.

It was like saying 'You-Know-Who's name' in the wizarding world. Everybody just pretended it hadn't happened. Charlie was moved back downstairs and Ruby kept clear of her as much as possible from then on.

Gabriel, however, had practically floated around the ADA building for weeks afterwards with a massive grin on his face. Apparently calling Ruby out about her well-hidden crush on him had been one of the best things that had ever happened to him. Ruby, naturally, had tried to recover from the insinuation by turning up the crazy after that.

Now, Charlie watched Ruby as subtly as possible from her desk.

She looked like a zombie. An 'angry' zombie. She was just standing there, glaring at nothing as she stood along the wall of the offices.

Maybe Charlie could risk sneaking in a word with her during a bathroom break? She thought about that idea for a few moments before shaking her head. No. Even if they didn't have a bad history between them, Ruby probably wouldn't be allowed to discuss what was going on. The atmosphere practically screamed 'Classified'.

Charlie sighed to herself. Maybe Castiel would be able tell her what the fuss was about once he got out of his meeting with Naomi.

That was really the scariest thing about all this. Naomi was a frickin' legend.

She had served as the secretary for Mr. Novak Senior, the ADA Founder, since practically the beginning of the company. She was said to be capable of running the entire company single-handedly with all of her experience. And yet, she spoke respectfully to everyone, and somehow knew them all by name. Just like Daddy-Novak. There were long-standing rumors that the two were lovers, but nobody ever knew for sure.

Charlie thought it would be super-romantic if they were. They looked good together.

But, why was Naomi here, at the Lawrence offices, without her boss? Charlie's nervousness only grew as the door to Castiel's office remained shut.

…-^o^-…

"What does all this mean, Naomi? What do you want from me?" Castiel's voice asked hoarsely from where he was leaning his head into his hands on the desk. "I don't know how to run the company. Just because my dad could do it, doesn't mean I can."

"Castiel," Her voice was firm, "You have no choice. The company needs a leader, and you were the one chosen. I know you don't feel confident in your abilities, but we wont let you fail. Michael has already organized a Public Relations Team to handle the fall-out. There's no telling how soon the scandal will be leaked to the media. It's…it's very likely that the missing money will be linked to your father and brother's disappearances." She said carefully.

Castiel gaped at her. "You…you can't be serious? That's ridiculous!"

Naomi frowned and nodded her head. "I know, Castiel. We all know that, but…we can't explain that to the press. I won't lie. It is going to be very difficult for you. But, you are our only chance. You have to be the face of the company."

"Do…do I have to leave?" He asked, he mind flashing to Dean.

How was he going to explain this?

There was no telling how long this fiasco was going to last.

Months?

…Years?

"We should return to Head Quarters in San Diego. We are calling in all of the Executives and setting up temporary housing inside the complex in preparation of the media back-lash. The sooner we release the facts to the media, the sooner we can start putting out fires started by the rumors."

Castiel slumped in his seat, the full weight of what was being asked of him finally hitting him. "I can't just…leave my life here, Naomi." He straightened up, forcing his voice to stop stuttering. "We don't have to go to San Diego, right? We can do it all from here, can't we?"

She frowned, seeming to consider his question. "That would be…difficult, sir."

"I don't care. I don't want to leave- at least…at least not so soon. Make plans for us to work from here." It was an order, he realized. He had just given Naomi an order. He felt like he was falling down the rabbit hole.

Naomi watched him carefully for several moments with a small frown, then nodded in understanding. "Very well, sir. I will let Michael know of your decision."

…-^o^-…

When the door to Castiel's office opened, everyone's attention snapped immediately to it.

But, instead of Castiel appearing in the doorframe, Naomi stepped out. She glanced quickly around the space, before addressing Ruby first.

"Ruby, we will be working from here instead of San Diego. Have a computer station set up for you here by Mr. Novak's office." Ruby nodded, barely looking up at the woman.

"Everyone else, make yourselves comfortable wherever you can. Plan for a long stay. Alfie," Naomi turned her head, and with a shock, Charlie realized that a young looking man had been sitting quietly just a few feet behind her without her noticing, "Please work with Charlie to arrange for Mr. Novak's meals to be taken in his office throughout today. We have a lot of information to cover, so expect to stay late this evening."

The young man smiled and nodded enthusiastically. He looked at Charlie, who was still trying to figure out when the fuck the man had sat down by her. They stared for several seconds, his bright smile never wavering. She squinted at him suspiciously.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group quickly dispersed. President Crowley hung around for several minutes, looking as if he wanted to demand answers from someone, but unsure who he could threaten. It seemed like most of the people assembled were higher in rank than he was as just a local office President. He seemed to finally give up, stomping to the elevator and leaving.

The only person who remained, aside from Zombie-Ruby making a call to IT, was Alfie and the man who had kissed Castiel and handed him the flowers. Charlie watched the tall man stare thoughtfully at Castiel's office door. He turned his head, flashing his ultra-white teeth at the three secretaries.

"Ladies, how are you doing this morning?" The question was obviously a pretense to get them to lower their defenses. They answered him positively anyway, smiling uncomfortably.

"I'm so glad that Castiel is in such excellent hands. I have been very concerned about him since he came here." The three women nodded, and it was Anna of all people, who asked what they were each thinking.

"Are you a…friend of Mr. Novak's?" As if a friend would blatantly bring flowers and kiss another man in front of a group of people.

"Actually," he glanced down at her nameplate at the front of her desk, "Anna, I'm Castiel's boyfriend. Dick Roman, but please, call me Dick." His smiled and extended his hand to her. While she shook it with a frown, Jess and Charlie exchanged panicked glances behind his back.

NO WAY this was going to end well. Charlie remembered what Gabriel had said about Castiel's last boyfriend. What had he called it? The 'Dick Fiasco'. Well, now THAT made more sense. It would have been funny, except for the fact that the man was 'here', in Lawrence, and referring to himself as Castiel's boyfriend- as in 'present tense'.

Oh, man. And Castiel hadn't even flinched away from his kiss. Maybe he was in shock? He MUST'VE been in shock.

Ex's could do that to a person. Charlie had once been at a LARP where the ruler of a neighboring Dwarfdom had declared war on another kingdom after finding out that Charlie had spent the night in the other queen's tent. Charlie had been so caught off guard that she hadn't come to the kingdoms aid in time. There had been so many casualties….

Now she found herself faced with the big question: Should they warn Dean that Castiel's Ex was in town, and apparently in denial about their break-up?

Damn- she didn't get paid enough to deal with this kind of real-world drama...

…-^o^-…

"And then he won, like, twenty stuffed animals! It was awesome! And the last thing he won was a minion, you know, from that movie? And he holds it up, and was all like, 'Now Lucifer has two loyal minions', cuz when we had our first date, I brought one over for Lucifer. Did I tell you guys about Lucifer? You know, the cat he almost ran over that first time he came in? Yeah, I picked that name, myself. Cas thought it was really cool. He's an awesome cat. When I visited Cas at the Pet Store on Saturday, they had totally isolated him away from the rest of the kittens because he was being a little shit. But he's actually not that bad, just-"

"Dean-! Please just let us eat our lunches in peace." Benny drawled out painfully.

"Hey! I had to listen to you gushing about clothes shopping with Anna for like, an hour, so you can shut the hell up and listen to my story!" Dean snapped defensively.

"Stories." Bobby's gruff voice spoke up from the break room sofa where he was eating chips straight from the bag. Dean glared at him. He shrugged his shoulder defensively, "Well, it wasn't just the one, was it? You've been yakking for damn near an hour yourself." He turned back to his chips with a huff.

There was a knock at the door to the break room and Jo's head appeared leaning in. "Um, hey guys. I just wanted to…uh… Dean? Could I speak with you? Now?"

Ash, Benny and Bobby all turned to look at Dean. Dean sat his double-stacked sandwich down slowly, confused. "Uh, yeah. I guess." He rose, following Jo out.

To his surprise, she led him all the way out to the lot, walking deep into the midst of the damaged and abandoned piles of cars. She finally stopped and turned to him, not meeting his eye.

Dean shifted nervously, and tried to chuckle to relax the tension. "Geez, Jo. If you're planning on confessing your feelings and jumping me, I gotta warn you. Cas could probably kick your ass."

Jo didn't smile. In fact, she seemed to frown even more.

"Dean. You need to…ah. Okay, so…" She struggled to find the right words. Dean waited patiently, eyebrows raised. Jo took a deep breath and just let it all out. "Lisa is back in town and you need to go talk to her, like, right now."

Dean blinked his eyes as he felt the words sink in. "Lisa…? She's back in Lawrence?"

Jo nodded, watching him carefully. "Yeah. You two…need to have a talk. She wants to see you, but she, uh, wasn't sure how you'd take her showing up suddenly after, you know…."

"After she turned down my proposal and walked out of my life with barely a good-bye? After THAT, you mean?" Dean felt himself growing angry. "You know what? Fuck that! I don't have anything left to say to her."

"Dean…" Jo began pleadingly.

"No. We're through. I don't need her showing back up in my life when I have… Now that I'm with Cas. Tell her to go back to her fiancé or her sister or where ever." Dean spun around, walking back to the garage pissed.

Shit. Of course she would finally come back to him as soon as he didn't want to see her anymore.

He felt a small twang of something. That gaping pit in his stomach that had seemed to stay with him after she had left began to ache again. That familiar hopeless sadness that she had left behind was starting to return.

He shut it down. Hard.

What the hell was she trying to do? Was she making amends with all the 'little-people' that she screwed over before her big wedding? Why the hell would she think that he was going to agree to listen to her apologetic bullshit, anyway?

He had moved on. He had Cas now.

Cas... He needed to talk to Cas. Just to hear his voice and be reminded that this wasn't as big a deal as it seemed.

He pulled out his phone, dialing Cas's number.

It went straight to voicemail. Shit.

He typed out a quick text.

D: hey let me know if you are free to hang out tonight

Dean thought about adding 'I miss you' at the end.

He decided against it.

It was implied, right?

…-^o^-...

"What? So this Dick-guy still thinks that they are a thing? Castiel literally put 'states' between them. How much more clear could he be?" Sam scoffed as he ladled spaghetti sauce onto his and Jess's plates. They were in her small, but cozy, apartment kitchen.

"Yeah," She said hesitantly.

Sam noticed the concern in her voice, giving her a quick glance. "That's all it is, right? I mean, Castiel IS gonna set him straight, isn't he?"

Jess sat her plate down on the table, but didn't sit. "Sam, I…I don't know. Something is going on. Like, 'big deal' with the company. I think they want Castiel to go back to California." She looked worriedly up at Sam to see his reaction to the news.

He was frowning, thinking hard. At last, he spoke, "That's…not good." He finished lamely. "I mean, obviously if he has to go for business, then there's not much we can do about it. But…permanently? And now his Ex is in town? I don't like this."

Jess nodded. "Dick Roman's not just an Ex, though, Sam. He's one of the Executives on the Board and he's the head of the PR Department. That means that if Castiel does go to Head Quarters, then Dick will be there with him every day." She finally sat, staring down at her food in confusion. "It just doesn't make sense, though. Castiel isn't an Executive or anything like that. There's no reason for someone on his low-level of the totem pole to get called to Head Quarters. Unless it has something to do with his father or brother."

Sam's forehead crinkled with concern. "I wonder if he's told Dean about any of this. He must've, right? I mean, it's practically Dating 101. If your Ex suddenly pops in to pay you a visit, you HAVE to tell your current boyfriend or girlfriend immediately. Everyone knows that."

…-^o^-…

Dean stared down at his phone, frowning.

It was late, and Castiel had never gotten back to him.

He sat alone in his house, the TV playing an old horror movie in the background, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

He was too pissed with Jo to go to the Road House tonight. Where did she get off sticking her nose in his business? So Lisa wanted to see him? Tough shit. He'd waited like a pathetic loser for months for her to come back. Instead, she had decided to settle down with some loser she barely knew. Live the life he had wanted to share with her.

Fuck it- not his problem anymore.

…so, why was it bothering him so much?

He grunted angrily. He didn't need her. And clearly she didn't feel like she needed him. They both were free to live their separate lives.

Maybe he should go over to Cas's place and see him in person.

That was all he needed- just to 'see' Cas.

To be reminded how much better everything was without Lisa.

Would he look too clingy, though? They both had work in the morning, and this morning had already proven that it was dangerous for them to wake up together.

Dean grinned to himself, remembering the amazing wake-up he had received.

He looked back down at his phone, his frown slowly returning.

C'mon, Cas. What's the hold up…?

…-^o^-…

When Castiel finally emerged from the office, it was already past eleven p.m.

He walked past the empty secretary desks. They had all been sent home much earlier.

Naomi had also left shortly after them. She had spent the entire day covering his new duties with him and outlining their strategies for handling the scandal. He had opted to stay behind and go back over his notes. His eyes were burning and he needed a shower. It felt like the day had lasted forever. And it had started out so well…

"Done for the night, sir?" A peppy voice asked. Castiel almost jumped out of his skin. He snapped his head back around to the secretaries desks, and sure enough, poking his head up from behind a large monitor screen was the young intern he had met earlier.

"Ah…uh, Alfie, wasn't it?" The young man nodded happily as he turned the computer off and stood to join Castiel. "Why are you here so late, Alfie? You didn't have to stay because of me, did you?"

"Oh, no sir! I just like to get as much work done as possible before I leave for the night. They put us up in some nice hotel rooms, but the computer access isn't all that great." The younger man walked with Castiel to the elevator to leave.

As the elevator descended, Castiel's mind tried to make sense of the day. As they stepped out into the main lobby, he finally spoke. "Alfie…" Castiel began, hesitantly, eyes glancing at the multiple cameras along the hall, "Is everything, uh, really as bad as they're saying?"

The young man smiled and shrugged cheerfully, "I couldn't say, sir. But, Mr. Michael seems very upset. Though, I think that's more because your father didn't leave him in charge. You know, since he was next in the company ranking structure."

Castiel nodded, understanding. It seemed like NO ONE was pleased with his father's decisions. It was all a huge mess.

And this was just the beginning, Castiel thought. How many long hours was he going to be facing when the news of the embezzlement and disappearances were released?

He was exhausted as he made his way out of the large building, heading to his car. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Alfie waving at something in the distance across the parking lot.

"Is...Is someone you know still working, too?" Castiel asked, seeing a dark car parked in that direction.

"Oh, yes, sir. Those are some of my friends from the HQ Security team. They have to stay up to keep and eye on you."

Castiel froze just as he was about to get inside his car. "What? They're 'following' me?!"

Alfie seemed as if Castiel being followed and watched by a security detail was no big deal. "Of course, sir. Michael ordered them to do it after Gabriel escaped on Saturday. I think they are worried that you'll make a run for it, too." The young man smiled brightly, "Well, have a good night, sir!" He waved happily as he walked away.

Castiel was too tired for this. ALL of this.

He felt like his brain was going to explode in his head. Scandals, escapes, dark vans following him around. How did his life become so crazy in just twenty-four hours?

He needed sleep. He was drained mentally and emotionally. He couldn't even think straight anymore.

That was the ONLY reason he didn't realize he was still carrying the bright yellow bouquet from Dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Gasp* So much drama!
> 
> Next up: Dick (Being himself)
> 
> Castiel has a very public panic attack.
> 
> Sam meddles and causes problems (Yeah, stop the press).
> 
> Dean causes a scene.
> 
> Angry Cas is sexy.


	25. Surprise Visits (Suck)

The second the elevator doors slid open Castiel could hear the pathetic mewling of Lucifer echoing down the hall from his apartment. The knowledge that he was responsible for caring for the needy cat piled upon his already burdened mind. If the damn thing wasn't so cute and helpless….

There was just so much for which he was responsible. Not just an overly-energetic foster kitten with abandonment issues.

Now he had the burden of thousands of people all over the world, with their own families, bills, mortgages and, hell, probably even a few foster dogs and cats of their own.

And if he didn't measure up, then they could all be unemployed by the end of the year. Some even sooner, based on what Naomi went over with him today.

Castiel moved forward, kneading his hands over his eyes to fight back the exhaustion just a bit longer.

He had to feed Lucifer.

And charge his phone so he could call Dean. Castiel felt a wave of warmth wash over his entire body at the thought of his sexy, green-eyed mechanic. If all of these issues hadn't been thrown on Castiel's lap this morning, would he be with Dean now? Maybe wrapped in his arms already after a long, heated session of love-making?

Dean…

What was he going to tell Dean about all this? Naomi hadn't argued with his choice to stay in Lawrence, but Castiel knew that it was completely impractical.

"You kept the flowers."

Castiel's head shot up and his hands fell from his eyes. "…Dick?" For a moment Castiel was too stunned to even collect his thoughts. The sudden shift from picturing Dean's gentle smirk to seeing Dick's flashing white smile was almost too much to follow. Then, the man's words caught up with his brain and Castiel stared down at his hands, realizing that he was, in fact, carrying the bright yellow bouquet from Dick.

Well, shit.

"I had a feeling they would cheer you up. I know today has been really tough on you." He smiled, moving forward to pull Castiel into an embrace.

Castiel realized his intentions just in time to react. He threw his arms up to stop Dick's hug, unintentionally batting the tall man in the face with his fist full of flowers. Yellow petals exploded into the air, catching in Dick's short, immaculate brown hair as he pulled away.

Dick stepped further back with a frown, brushing the petals testily off of his blazer. "I suppose this means you're still upset with me?" He asked, sending Castiel a tight, stiff smile.

Castiel scoffed loudly and shoved the flowers roughly into Dick's stomach as he pushed his way past to unlock his door.

He felt a tug at his suit sleeve for him to turn back around. Dick looked remorseful as he stared down at the ground. "I know you heard what I said to Metatron that day." When Castiel didn't answer, he continued, "After the first few days, when I heard about your relocation, I asked security if I could check the cameras on the day you left. I had a feeling…since you left so suddenly." He turned his eyes up to meet Castiel's, inching himself closer almost imperceptibly. "You have to realize, Castiel, I was just-just bragging. I didn't want people to think we were only together because I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. That's all everybody thinks. That I'm only out for myself and using you. I… I wanted people to know that we were real-"

"By trash-talking me and making me sound desperate for you? That's how you planned to convince people that you were serious about me?" Castiel could feel the pent up anger and frustration from the entire day begin to overflow. "We are done, Dick. I have a new life here. I don't need to deal with your constant apologies and snobby attitude towards people. Find someone else to 'brag' about!" Castiel turned back to the door angrily, Lucifer's meows escalating in volume when he raised his voice.

"You forgot to mention the mechanic."

At Dick's quiet words, Castiel froze with the key in the lock, waiting to be turned. He carefully looked over his shoulder at Dick, ho continued with a sneer, "Yes, I know about 'Dean'. I ran into that flaming british moron, Balthazar. He didn't waste any time rubbing your new relationship in my face. In front of half the damn office…"

"That's…Dean's not your concern, Dick. You aren't a part of my life any more. Leave him out of this." Castiel gritted out angrily, planning to make a heated call to Balthazar as soon as possible. How the hell could he tell Dick, of all people, about Dean?

"Of course it's my concern, Castiel. We aren't even officially broken up yet!" He ignored Castiel's incredulous laugh, "Give me a few days to try and make it up to you. I already gave you nearly a month and half to calm down. You can't seriously want to end what we had?"

Castiel turned and stared at Dick for several seconds. Finally, he spoke clearly, enunciating each word, "Dick. You have been dumped. You were dumped the second those words came out of your mouth. There is no 'we' anymore. Leave. Now."

He turned back to the door but was quickly spun back around by a the taller man's strong hand. Dick grabbed both of his shoulders and grasped tightly, his face pained and sincere. "Castiel, please-! I know I've made a lot of mistakes. I'm not saying I've been a perfect boyfriend! But, I …I know I can be better if you just give me another chance. Don't I deserve that at least?"

Castiel felt the blood drain from his face. Dick continued, "I'm an idiot for not chasing after you immediately. I know that! I just...I thought you needed time. I didn't expect you to…to throw yourself at some 'filthy car repairman'. And certainly not a straight one! Castiel," his hands moved to cup the sides Castiel's face as he whispered sadly, "You know it would never work out with him, right? He's not like us."

Castiel stood frozen in place, Dick's words ringing through his head. They were exactly what Castiel had been trying to deny to himself since he had first met Dean.

Dean wasn't gay.

Dean was never going to stay with him.

They were two completely different people… It would never last.

Castiel shoved Dick away with such a force that the man stumbled and caught himself on the nearby wall. He stared at Castiel with surprise for several moments, noting his furious face and tense stance.

Dick whispered quietly, almost too low for Castiel to hear, "You wouldn't be so angry if it wasn't true…"

Castiel flinched at the words, forcing his trembling hands to unclench at his sides. He growled, his voice a rumbling threat, "You have NO right to come here and try to ruin what we have. I won't tell you again, Dick. Leave."

Dick looked away, frowning and clearly frustrated. Castiel took the opportunity to turn back to the door and finally open it, scooping the excited Lucifer up and pulling him close- tighter than usual.

He needed to get away from Dick. Away from his words, which sounded too familiar.

Just as he tried to shut the door, it was caught by Dick's hand. "Castiel- wait!" Castiel took a deep calming breath, turning slowly back to Dick. "I- you know why I came here." He muttered the words quickly, his face showing his embarrassment.

"You cannot be serious, Dick. No. Absolutely not."

"Castiel…please. I'm not asking to DO anything. You know that. I just…I figured...you know how bad it can get."

"I said 'no'. Your cuddling privileges have been revoked. Do whatever the hell you've been doing since we separated." He moved to close the door again, but Dick wouldn't release his grip.

"What I've 'been doing' is choking down a cocktail of sleeping pills and scotch every night for the last month and a half! I hate it. Just let me lie beside you- I promise I wont try anything. Your 'mechanic' doesn't have to know. Come on, Castiel…" He leaned forward into the crack of the door, practically begging.

For just the briefest moment, Castiel felt a twang of pity for him. Dick had always had a rough time sleeping by himself. He kept it a well-hidden secret, but Castiel had found out early in their relationship that no matter how late Dick worked, he would always return to Castiel's bed at night to sleep.

Castiel pushed the memories away and growled out firmly, "Dick, the answer is 'no'. I won't say it again. If you can't stand sleeping alone, then hire a damn prostitute. Now move your hand or I swear I'll crush it in the door frame." Castiel had finally had enough, pressing against the door enough to make it clear that he was serious.

Dick gave him one more long, mournful stare, before withdrawing his hand.

The door shut.

Castiel leaned heavily against it, trying to quietly gasp in air. Lucifer squirmed against him, making an effort to climb his suit up to his shoulder. Castiel loosened his grip on the small cat as he heard Dick's footstep finally move down the hall.

He refused to look through the door's peephole.

For the smallest fraction of a moment, he had almost given in. He had almost cracked and let Dick into his apartment. Back into his life.

Why the hell had he kept the flowers…?

…-^o^-…

Dean waded his way out of deep sleep at the insistent tone of his phone signaling a call. His numb body moved slowly, fumbling for it in his back pocket. His heavy eyes registered the name 'Cas' on the caller ID and his entire body felt as though it had been shot up with adrenaline. He almost dropped the phone in his haste to answer.

"Ca-Cas?! Hey, man! I was…I was getting worried." He checked the clock. "Geez, man. It's late. Another Brain-Tank-thing?"

'No, Dean. I, uh, had a lot of other things come up at work today. And my phone actually died Saturday night. I'm sorry…'

Dean picked up on the exhaustion in the man's voice. "Well, hey, no big deal. Don't push yourself. We can talk tomorrow."

'No!' Cas answered adamantly, voice twinged with desperation, 'I…I really need to hear your voice, Dean. Can you just…talk to me for a while?'

Dean sat up slowly on the living room sofa. "Yeah, Cas. I want to talk to you, too. I feel like it's been forever since yesterday…" Dean chuckled, thinking suddenly of Lisa and her sudden reappearance.

'Yeah,' Castiel murmured on his end.

"What are you doing? Getting ready for bed?" Dean's tone shifted slightly, the obvious notes of lust slipping into his words.

He could hear Castiel's smile as he answered in a husky whisper, 'Already in bed, actually.'

Dean's eyebrows shot up. He was wide awake now. "Oh, yeah?" He purred. "What are you wearing? Those hot pajama pants? Or nothing?" Shit, please say nothing, Dean pleaded silently as he grinned to himself.

'Not a thing,' came Castiel's hushed reply, followed by an almost imperceptible low moaning sound.

Dean's breath hitched. He knew that sound.

"Are...are you touching yourself!?" Castiel just chuckled in his deep gravelly voice in answer. "Dammit, Cas. That's my job! Shit- wait, okay? I-I can be there in, like, twenty minutes-" he was already on his feet scrambling to grab his keys and wallet.

Castiel just chuckled, 'Don't bother- I'll be done long before you get here. And I'm too tired to get up again to unlock the door...'

"Fuck, Cas- you're killin' me!" Dean practically whined, heading straight for his room through the darkness instead. "Tell me where you're touching yourself. Describe it for me, Babe." Dean sent up a quick prayer of thanks that Sam was apparently not coming home tonight.

Castiel's laugh sent shivers through Dean's entire body. He felt himself hardening as he tried to strip hurriedly while keeping the phone pressed to ear. 'Well, I have the phone on speaker so I can use both hands…'

"Oh, fuck me- Where are your damn hands at Cas?" Dean palmed his rigid member as soon as his pants and boxers slid down his legs. He stumbled gracelessly, trying to kick them off as he moved.

'Hmm…one is rubbing my nipples…you know how I like that, remember?'

Dean almost choked. Of course he remembered. Cas' nipples were crazy sensitive. They had a direct connection to his cock. Dean's entire body was already flushed and tingling. His heart was hammering in his chest.

"Mmm…fuck, yeah, I remember. Shit- what are you doing to them?" He slipped backwards onto his bed, relaxing into it as Cas' voice hummed through the phone.

'I'm taking turns, pinching then rubbing them both. I wish I had your tongue here to give them a warm lick. That would feel…mmm…so good.'

"Ah…fuck-!" Dean stroked himself harder, picturing Cas laid out completely naked on his huge bed, his nipples red and perky from attention. "The other one- ah…! Where is your other hand, Cas?" Dean demanded.

Castiel's breathy laugh was cut short by his needy moan. 'Guess...'

"Son-of-a-" Dean murmured, throwing his head back. It sounded like Cas was already close. Dean felt like he wasn't going to last much longer either. "Tell me how it feels, Cas. What are you thinking of?"

'I'm thinking of you…' Dean's strokes became rougher, more erratic as Cas struggled to speak '…those dirty coveralls pooled at your feet. Your greasy hands all over my body as you…unh…take me from behind…leaning me- over the- Impala-Ahhh-!'

The sound of Castiel's shaky voice ending in a stammering moan as he came sent Dean careening over the edge himself. He bucked up, into his tight grip, milking his orgasm as he writhed and shuddered.

For several moments the only sound on either side of the line was heavy breathing and gasps.

"Mmm…we have GOT to do that more often." Dean managed when he could finally speak again.

Castiel's tired laugh sounded from the other end. 'Mmm. Definitely, Dean.' There was more silence filled by only the sound of breathing. Neither man wanted to end the call, so they waited listening to the other as their breaths slowed.

"…Cas?" Dean whispered.

'Unn…?' Came the weak reply.

For a moment Dean almost started to tell him about Lisa's return. He wanted to get it off his chest. The heavy burden of the secret felt alien to him. Cas should know. He should have a chance to hear how Dean felt. About the proposal nightmare. The months of depression. The anger at her sudden return, and her request to see him.

But something kept his mouth shut. It felt almost like fear. A small nagging concern that what they had could 'change' at the admission. That the knowledge that Dean had been so close to belonging to Lisa would somehow up-end his and Cas' happiness.

'Dean…?' Cas' voice drifted to him, sounding as if he was barely holding out from sleep.

"Nevermind, Cas. Get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow and we'll hang out, alright?"

'Mmm…night, Dean…'

"Goodnight, Cas…"

…-^o^-…

The diner had just opened at six a.m.

A tired Tessa smiled when she saw the old man, Ted, already standing outside the door as she flipped the sign. He was staring at the rising sun, it's golden rays cresting over the trees and shadowed statues of the cemetery far in the distance. He had a cigarette in one hand and a cheap-looking cell phone in the other.

Tessa beckoned him in with a smile, overhearing his words as he put out his cigarette and stepped in through the door.

"That's a very interesting development. You think it has something to do with the new man, Dean...?" He paused listening to the other line. He chuckled quietly at what was said. "Yes, he's a hopeless romantic, isn't he? It's a complication, but I don't think you need to take any action. Love tends to be…resilient. If it is meant to be, then it will be. Don't try to force it. Are we any closer to a solution to this problem?" He listened again, taking his seat in the familiar corner booth.

Chuck stepped out from the back kitchen and moved around the corner carrying two mugs and a steaming coffee pot. He joined Ted, waiting patiently for him to finish his call.

"I see. Well, for now leave it to him. He's sharper than he realizes. You should take care of yourself, too. You're in just as much danger. Tread carefully." He listened for a moment more, smiling to himself. "Yes. Alright, son. Let me know if anything else changes. Good-bye."

Tessa stepped over carefully, having been eavesdropping. She tried to sound unsuspicious as she asked, "Son? Oh, was that one of your sons on the phone?"

Ted smiled at her and answered carefully, "Yes...in a way. That was my other son, the one I mentioned before. The one that's not really mine...but he feels like it." His eyes drifted for a moment. "He's a good boy. Clever. I worry about him, though." His smile returned. "I worry about all three of them. They have a tough road ahead…"

"Well, I'm glad that you're in touch with somebody, at least." She smiled brightly, the concern leaving her voice. She hummed to herself as she moved away, setting up the rest of the diner for customers.

She left Chuck and Ted to their coffee.

They made an interesting pair, neither speaking, both sipping their drinks and staring out the window, as if their minds were elsewhere.

…-^o^-…

Castiel frowned to himself. He stared at his phone, hidden under the conference table while he read Dean's text.

Dean: road house tonight?

Castiel sighed. To say his schedule was packed would be an understatement. He had no idea how Naomi was fitting everything in as it was. She seemed to be able to bend space and time to her agenda.

He had just spent most of the morning being briefed by the company accountant, who covered the monetary losses and how they were trying to hire specialists to digitally track it. Then by the company stockbroker and his team, who presented figures and charts to show anticipated losses and how to preemptively counter them before the media attacked.

Then, by the PR team, led by a noticeably-tired looking Dick, who appeared to be pretending the previous night had not happened. He tried to smile brightly and stood uncomfortably close to Castiel as he detailed how Castiel should act, what key words he should say, what wardrobe they had picked out for him that would reel in the most public support (Castiel had no idea how the pattern of his tie played into people taking his side, but Dick had an entire stack of data to support it).

They ended up 'fixing' his appearance, spending almost two hours giving him an expensive hair trim and setting him up with an untailored, but still impressive, new suit. Only for the time being, they insisted.

It seemed like the large group covered every possible scenario and obstacle. But, when Dick had begun discussing the matter of Castiel's sexuality, with the strong recommendation from his team that the topic should be completely avoided at all costs, Castiel almost exploded from the embarrassment.

Here he was, packed into a secure room with over twenty of the company's most valuable department heads, talking about his sex life. He almost wanted to verbally attack Dick, demanding whether their own prior relationship was also off-limits for discussion. Embarrass him right back.

But, then, Dick had never been secretive about their relationship. In fact, just like the scene with Metatron, bragging about their relationship was something Dick had never been able to pass on. He had always walked proudly into any restaurant or store alongside Castiel, as if their being together was perfectly natural.

It had been...nice having someone proud to be with him. Even if Dick took it to the extreme and ran his mouth off a bit too often.

Castiel remembered what Dick had said the night before: that he was just bragging; that he was upset that people would accuse him of dating Castiel for his name only.

Classic Dick. He had to protect his ego.

Now it was early afternoon with no end in sight. He eyed the text from Dean again, the dull hum of the voices discussing the handling of company taxes almost putting him to sleep.

This wasn't his life. He couldn't follow what the voices were saying. He would need a Master's Degree to understand them. He began texting Dean back.

Castiel: Sorry, not looking possible. Very busy again.

He returned his gaze to the power point at the front of the room while he waited for a response.

His phone vibrated in his hand. He glanced down.

Dean: that sucks. maybe 2morrow?

Castiel sighed again. How could he even plan time to spend with Dean. His entire schedule for the next several months was already being laid out by Naomi and the teams. And it was only going to get worse once the media caught wind of everything.

Castiel suddenly sat up straight with a terrifying jolt of realization. It occurred to him, for the first time, that if the media came after him, then Dean could easily get caught in the crossfire.

What would happen if they found out about his relationship with Dean?

If they were going to go on a witch hunt, then would that lead them to Dean's door?

Would Dean need a security detail? What about the Auto Repair Shop? Would the workers there be safe from questioning? And the Road House?

How out-of-control could this get? Would his relationship with Dean be thrown into the public limelight? Broadcast all over television for the world to see?!

He had to warn him-! Tell him everything! Dean hadn't signed up for any of this- what if he- what if Dean didn't want to deal with it all-?

Castiel mind raced and he felt himself become lightheaded, his stomach giving an abrupt roll. He staggered from his chair, drawing the attention of the entire room.

He lurched for the door, darkness creeping into his vision.

Don't pass out, He thought desperately to himself. Not here. Got to call Dean. He needs to know…

Just as he felt himself begin to stumble, a strong grip caught his arm and kept him on his shaky feet..

"I believe we are overdue for a break. Everyone take thirty minutes." Dick stated calmly, as if nothing was wrong. However, the authority in his voice was clear. He gripped Castiel's elbow, practically holding him up as he led him from the room over to his own office down the hall.

Castiel had chosen to remain on the ninth floor. As the passed the secretary's desk, Castiel managed to catch Charlie's face in his blurry vision as they passed. She began to rise, asking worriedly, "Boss, are you okay?" Jess and Anna were on their feet immediately, as well.

Ruby suddenly appeared at his side, taking his other arm as she opened his office door for them.

Castiel wasn't sure how long had passed with his heart racing painfully and his head pounding, but found himself leaning back in his chair, a damp rag placed over his eyes. Someone was holding his hand, squeezing gently. He used his other hand to pull away the rag, and realized it was Dick sitting beside him, face tense with worry.

Naomi was by the door whispering instructions to Ruby, who was nodding and casting Castiel nervous glances. Alfie was by the phone, speaking quietly to someone. "No, sir, we will resume the briefs later this afternoon. Everyone is standing by…No, Mr. Novak is fine-just forgot to eat breakfast this morning. Too eager to get in to work, sir. Nothing to be concerned about, sir…Yes, sir. Yes, I'll let Naomi know to call you with an update…Yes, sir." He sat the phone down, and spoke quietly to Naomi, "Michael, ma'am."

Castiel watched as Naomi nodded. She dismissed Ruby, shutting the office door.

Both Naomi and Dick's eyes fell on him. They looked concerned, like he was going to pass out or throw up without warning.

"Mr. Novak, how are you feeling?" Naomi finally asked gently.

"I…I'm fine, Naomi. Just had a bad turn." He mumbled. He felt a small squeeze on his hand again and made an effort to pull it from Dick's. The other man held fast, and Castiel eventually gave up.

Naomi eyed him warily, then gave Dick a look. Dick cleared his throat, turning to Castiel. "You…dropped your phone." He nodded his head to the desk where Castiel's phone was sitting. There was another moment of uncomfortable silence before Dick continued, "We…noticed the text. From 'Dean'." His voice chilled a bit at the mention of Dean's name.

Castiel sucked in breath. "You…you shouldn't be reading my personal texts, Dick." He yanked his hand back, and Dick finally released it, giving him a frown.

"This is about him, isn't it? Castiel, you practically passed out in front of the entire team. Do you know how bad that looks? Tell us what's wrong!"

Castiel considered not saying anything, but he knew that would only hurt Dean in the long run. He intentionally turned away from Dick to address Naomi. "We…we're going to need to warn Dean, aren't we? Brief him about everything. The media. The questions. All of it."

Naomi frowned, nodding slowly. "We had not...anticipated that you would have a local boyfriend. I'm afraid he is going to be pulled into this, as well. If we had-" She caught herself, looking away in embarrassment.

"What is it, Naomi?"

Dick answered, instead. "If we had taken this operation to Head Quarters, like planned, then we could have kept 'Dean' out of all of this." He seemed to want to say something else, and finally muttered quietly, "We still can."

Castiel's head turned fast, his temper flaring. "I'm not leaving Dean just because the company is having a rough time, Dick!"

Dick lost his own calm, snapping back, "Well, do it for him then! You think he wants to be on the front page of every newspaper in the country as the 'mistress' of the ADA Head? That's what they'll all say, you know! How is that a better option? You're not-" He cut himself off to cross the room and calm down. He hissed lowly, "You're not thinking clearly. You've know him, what? Three weeks now?"

Castiel was furious, but he wasn't sure if it was all because of Dick, or his own stupidity. Of course Dean would be in danger. The press would be suspicious of why Castiel hadn't taken up residence in San Diego to lead the company. How long before they discovered Dean?

The familiar feeling of lightheadedness and nausea hit Castiel again. He cupped his aching head in his hands. After a few more moments he lifted it and addressed Naomi again. "Do whatever you need to ensure Dean is protected. But, I…I want to be the one to explain all this to him."

Dick let out an exasperated sigh. "So, are you planning to take him to San Diego? Or are you choosing to stay here? Even knowing how dangerous it is?"

Castiel glared at him, causing Dick's mouth to shut quickly before he could continue. "I am not going to 'take' Dean anywhere. I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll let you know what 'we' decide after I have explained everything to him." He shot Dick one final look before turning to Naomi. "I'm feeling better, Naomi. Let's get back to work."

…-^o^-…

Dean was surprised to find Sam at home when he dropped in for a quick lunch on his break.

"Hey, loser! Don't you have a class or something you're supposed to be at?" Dean asked as he stepped past Sam to head to the kitchen.

Castiel had sent him one final text, just saying that he needed to meet with Dean sometime this evening. He couldn't give a solid time, but suggested that it may be late.

Sam didn't answer.

Dean wasn't sure what to make of the text or Castiel's busy schedule. It suddenly occurred to him that his own brother was dating one of the secretaries in Cas' office. How had he missed that? She would have the low-down on what was keeping Cas stuck at work.

He turned back to his brother, who was shifting nervously, like he had something he wanted to ask Dean. Dean ignored him. "Hey, Sammy, I don't reckon you could hit up Jess about what's up in Cas' office? He got super-busy yesterday and today. Seems pretty stressed."

Sam looked panicked for a second, his mouth moving but no words coming out. After a few moments of stuttering he managed, "Actually, uh, that's what I was hoping to talk with you about. Um, Jess…she mentioned that, uh, that Castiel may be…going away. To San Diego."

Dean frowned at his brother, blinking. Was that what Cas wanted to talk to him about this evening? A business trip to California? "Huh. Well, I guess if it's his job, then he doesn't have much of a choice. Does she know how long it'll be?"

Sam made a face that Dean recognized. It was his, 'I'm about to be the bearer of really bad news and I would give anything in the world not to be' face.

Shit.

"Dean…maybe, uh, maybe Castiel should be the one to talk to you about this. I mean, Jess isn't even his actual secretary. She's not really positive about what's going on."

Sam had Dean's full attention now. "What do you mean 'what's going on'? What does she think is going on?"

"Uh…damn, Dean, I don't know. There's a lot, apparently. None of it looks good..."

Dean raised his eyebrows, waiting. When Sam still wouldn't meet his eye and answer, he asked, "How about you cut the crap and tell me what she told you. Is Cas in trouble?" Dean felt his stomach clench with dread.

"Dean…" Sam muttered, face worried.

"Sam. Spill it."

Sam sighed heavily and shrugged, "She… she says it looks like a pretty serious shake up has happened at the company. Something to do with the Novak family. Gabriel…well, she doesn't know where he is. But, his secretary and Castiel's father's secretary are both assigned to Castiel now. It looks like they want him to move back to San Diego for… well," Sam grimaced, wide-eyes watching his brother sadly, "probably a long time, from what she's overheard in the office. Maybe…permanently."

He watched his brother's face. At first, it seemed like Dean was going to blow it all off, but then his face dropped and doubt filled his eyes.

"You…you think Cas is-" He swallowed and his eyes darted everywhere as he tried to think. "You think Cas is gonna break-up with me? And go to San Diego? Like, forever?"

Sam had a strong sense of déjà vu suddenly. This was almost exactly like when Lisa bailed.

"Dean…I…I don't know anything. Neither does Jess. It's mostly just speculation. You need to talk to Cas, okay? Maybe this is all just a huge misunderstanding." Sam was really wishing he hadn't said anything. But, he couldn't leave Dean to deal with this by himself. Not again.

Dean was nodding his head, but his mind was reeling.

Cas couldn't leave him.

If Cas left…he would…

He needed to see Cas. Right this second.

Dean abruptly turned and headed back to the door.

"Dean? Where are you going, man?" Sam asked trying to follow him, nervous about what his brother was going to do.

"Just- just call Jess. Tell her I need to get up to Cas' office to see him. Right now."

Without another word, Dean hopped into his car, peeling out as he left the driveway. Sam stared after him.

He hadn't even had a chance to bring up Castiel's Ex...

This was going to be bad.

…-^o^-…

The ADA building was enormous and ritzy.

If Jess hadn't met him in the lobby, he wasn't sure what he would have done. Security was tight. He was being eyed warily by several guards as soon as he stepped inside.

And no surprise. He was wearing a tattered pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. The rest of the people bustling around the lobby were decked out in suits and ties.

At least he wasn't in his dirty coveralls. His mind immediately flashed to the conversation from the night before. Cas' fantasy of his coverall pooled on the-

Fuck. He needed to see Cas. Fast. He needed to clear all of this up. It was probably just Sammy and Jess over-reacting.

Across the lobby, elevator door opened and Jess stepped out, eyes landing on him quickly. She was clearly nervous. She waved at the front desk, and the security personnel relaxed, but still gave Dean suspicious looks. He smirked and waved cheerfully at them.

She beckoned him into the elevator with her. The doors closed and Dean watched as the lights lit up for each floor. When Jess spoke, Dean almost jumped, pulled from his worried thoughts.

"Dean, I really don't think this is a good time. Castiel's so busy and there are a lot of important people around."

"Sorry, Jess, but I don't care. I need to know if any of this is true. If Cas is really…" He couldn't say it.

"Dean, it's…it's not just that. Um, Sam didn't mention it, but, uh one of the executives-" The elevator door dinged their arrival on the ninth floor. It opened and Dean moved forward with Jess right behind him, still trying to find the words to warn him about Dick Roman.

Charlie and Anna were already in front of their desks, moving forward to cut Dean off. Jess had explained that Dean was on his way as soon as she hung up with Sam.

The women held up their hands to slow him down and began speaking emphatically at the same time. Their voices just mingled with Jess's combining into a dull roar that Dean ignored as he tried to figure out where Castiel was.

Where was he? Which office was Cas'?

A door opened down the long hallway and a blond woman with long hair stuck her head out, clearly annoyed. When she saw Dean and the nervous group of women flanking him, she darted out. As she approached she was already hissing in low, hushed tones.

"Is that- Is this 'Dean'? Are you fucking insane? He cannot be here. Get him out! Now!" She cast a nervous look over her shoulder, and Dean saw a man open the same door she had come from. He frowned down the hall, before his eyes locked on Dean.

His eyes narrowed for the barest flash of a second.

The man stepped out and began following the blond woman down the hall towards him. Dean wasn't sure what to think. The man's face had shifted quickly into a friendly smile, his teeth flashing a pearly white that Dean could see all the way from where he stood. It was completely in contrast with the first look he had aimed at him.

The blond woman turned her wide-eyes quickly to Dean, as if trying to signal him to leave- fast. The other women were frozen where they stood between Dean and the approaching man.

"You MUST be Dean Winchester, am I right? Dick Roman." His smile was wide as he extended his hand. Unsure what else to do, Dean took the man's hand, but not before noticing his eyebrows dart up as he noted the grime that never seemed to wash out of the creases and nails of Dean's own rough hands.

"Uh, yeah. I'm, uh, I'm here to talk to Cas-er, Castiel Novak, I mean." He took his hand back, fighting the urge to try and wipe the dirt away belatedly.

This man made Dean feel…well, like a greasy mechanic. He was tall, with immaculate brown hair and neat nails. His suit looked like it cost a fortune and fit him like a glove. His eyes were sharp, cutting into Dean as if he knew exactly what Dean was thinking.

Dean gritted his teeth. This was exactly the kind of businessman that Dean and the guys at the shop liked to mock. A damn 'suit'.

"Ladies, I'm sure you all have work to do." Dick said in the direction of the women without bothering to even turn his gaze from Dean. Then he gestured smoothly, still smiling, for Dean to walk with him into an atrium area near the elevator. A few small groups of people were passing around them. As they walked he spoke in an even tone, "I'm so sorry, Dean. Castiel is stuck in an important meeting. I'm keeping him very busy, you see. Could I take him a message?"

The man's voice even sounded rich and snobby. Dean forced the words out, trying to be civil. "No. I'll wait here for him, Dick. Thanks anyway." He stopped moving abruptly, making it clear that he was going to stay right there, in the middle of the hallway until Castiel appeared.

Dick's smile faltered and Dean caught the glimpse of another crack in his smooth demeanor. "I'm afraid that isn't acceptable. You see, Castiel and I have a great deal of work to do today. It could take… all night."

Dean's shackles raised and he fought not to lose his temper.

So that's how it was. This guy in the fancy suit with his stupid fake smile 'wanted' Cas.

Dean's Cas.

"I'm afraid, Dick, that Castiel has already made plans with me for this evening."

Dick's eyes hardened, but, dammit-all, his smile stayed in place.

"My mistake. I assumed after I left his apartment 'last night' that we would be meeting aga-"

It was a sudden, uncontrollable knee-jerk reaction. One second Dean was annoyed the next he was seeing red and swinging out blindly.

Dean's punch landed square across the man's left jaw, sending him slamming hard into the wall.

Dean heard several screams of surprise and shouts as doors were thrown open all along the hallway. Several people were yelling for Security.

Dick managed to recover quickly, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. He produced a handkerchief from somewhere, and, for just a moment, all Dean could think was 'Wow. People actually still carry those things?'.

But then Dick was smirking and Dean had a sinking feeling that the man had planned it. All of it. The punch had been staged. Dean had been 'set-up'.

Oh, fuck-

"Dean?!" Dean turned guiltily as a large crowd from the direction of the room down the hall all moved hastily aside for Castiel to pass. Dean's mouth nearly dropped. It was Cas, but…he looked different. His hair was slicked down neatly. His suit was of a much better quality than he usually wore, and Dean didn't even know all that much about suits. His polished shoes gleamed in the light from the many windows. He looked handsome, but…not like the Cas that Dean knew. Who was this?

Castiel looked angrily from Dick to Dean, taking in the dripping blood and Dick's suddenly pained expression. His face settled into a stormy frown.

"What the hell is going on here?" He demanded, looking back and forth between the two men.

To Dean's surprise, Dick did not immediately begin sniveling and try to dime him out. He just patted tenderly at his bleeding mouth, not looking at Castiel.

Castiel's eyes fell on Dean and stayed. Dean could see the confusion and anger, but also a hint of something else deep in the blue. Fear. Just enough of a flicker to make Dean's heart stutter.

"Cas," He tried, his voice barely working for him, "I…I didn't mean to-"

The elevator dinged nearby and a six enormous security guards piled out hurrying directly to Dean and grasping him roughly. Dean was tempted to push them off, but Castiel's solemn eyes were still locked on his. He couldn't tear his own away, trying to somehow communicate how sorry he was.

One of the beefy guards spoke up, addressing Dick, "Sorry, sir. We responded as soon as we got the call. The cameras on this floor are, uh, apparently malfunctioning. How do you want us to handle him?"

"You're not 'handling' anything. Let him go. Now." Castiel's voice boomed in the sudden silence, all eyes turning to him.

"I- I'm sorry Mr. Novak. But, you don't have the authority to issue those orders to us. This man has assaulted a company Executive. This is above your pay grade."

A large majority of the audience standing around Castiel suddenly erupted into indignant shouts and furious orders, confusing the security team and making the main speaker look very nervous.

But, it was Dick's voice that cut through the the rest, clear and sharp with threat. "That's quite enough, everyone!" He settled a steely glare on the head guard. "If Mr. Novak says to release that man, then you had better do it. Now!"

The security team not only released Dean, but gave him a solid five foot radius, their worried eyes shifting between Dick and Castiel. Dick dabbed one more time at his lip before calling out loudly, "Everyone, back to work! Move!"

The crowd scattered, darting back into the many rooms along the hall. The guards retreated back into the elevator like sardines squeezing into a tin can.

Jess, Anna and the other two women hurried back to their desks, but Castiel stopped them, "Ladies, please give us a few minutes." They nodded quickly and left the area. Dean watched them disappear around a corner with a growing sense of dread.

"I want to know EXACTLY what happened." Castiel ground out when they were finally alone.

Both Dean and Dick shifted uncomfortably once more under his glare. Neither spoke.

Dean had never seen this side of Castiel before. He seemed significantly less adorable, but somehow, about a hundred times 'sexier'. The new get-up didn't help. Furious looked good on him. Too bad Dean was the focus of the man's anger.

"Fine." Castiel practically spat out when neither answered. "Dick- get back into the damn conference room." It seemed as though Dick hadn't expected the sudden dismissal. He began to open his mouth to speak when Castiel snapped, "I said go!"

Dick gave a curt nod, then walked away stiffly back down the hall, still dabbing at his trickling nose.

Dean almost wished he hadn't left, bastard though he was.

It left him alone.

With a very hot- very pissed off- Cas.

For several moments they stood in silence. Castiel was clearly trying to reign in his temper. His eyes were glaring at the carpet, brows furrowed. Dean wanted to say something, an apology- anything. But, he realized he was 'afraid'.

Afraid that Cas was going to yell at him-

Hate him-

Leave him to go to San Diego.

So he waited, heart pounding.

"What did he say to you?" Castiel eventually spoke, his voice considerably more calm than when he had addressed Dick. He still kept his eyes turned away from Dean, but his softer tone gave Dean hope.

Dean shrugged, unsure how to explain the other man's obvious baiting. "He said he was…that he with you last night...at your apartment." Dean finally mumbled. He watched as Castiel frowned deeper, then nodded in understanding. For a moment Dean was sure his heart stopped. He choked out, "He- he wasn't, right? Cas...?"

Castiel sighed and looked up at him finally. "He came over to my apartment last night, yes."

Dean gaped, not sure who he was more upset at, Dick or Castiel. "Wh-what do you mean 'he came over to your god damn apartment', Cas?! Why the hell would that D-bag come over to your apartment at night? I thought he's some 'fancy Executive'. What would he want with you?" He couldn't find the words to ask anything else. Like what they did together. But the thought was there, slamming furiously against the walls of Dean's mind, relentlessly demanding an answer.

Castiel sighed. "I'm surprised he didn't tell you already. He usually never misses a chance to brag." Dean was frozen as Castiel kept speaking, "Dick… He's my Ex, Dean. He came over last night because he doesn't want us to break-up. I turned him away at the door."

Dean tried processing the information but it was slow work.

The Grade 'A' jackass that had just intentionally riled him up was Castiel's old boyfriend? He had just 'punched' Castiel's dirtbag ex-boyfriend...?

The words slipped out before Dean could stop them, "Well, hell! If I'd known that, I would've gotten a few more punches in!"

He shut up as Castiel's eyes flared with disapproval. "Dean, that is not amusing. Do you realize how serious this is? Dick is one of the highest ranked members of this organization. He has the power and authority to make your life hell. You can't-" He tried to get himself back under control, "Dean, you can't just…come into my workplace and start swinging at people." He ended quietly, exhaustion edging his voice.

Dean cringed at Castiel's words. He felt like a worthless sack of shit. He needed to go bury himself in a hole and die of shame.

He had hurt Castiel.

Embarrassed him in front of his entire office.

Fuck- he was acting like a damn idiot.

"Cas, I'm sorry. I-I just came over because…well, there are some rumors…."

Castiel's eyes widened and he looked suddenly worried. "What-what rumors, Dean?"

"That you're...you're gonna leave. Gonna go back to San Diego and may not come back..." Dean looked away, his chest tightening just saying the words.

He waited for Castiel to deny them.

And kept waiting.

"Cas...?"

"Dean, I-" he began, faltering. "Listen, things are…really up-in-the-air right now. It's going to get…tough. We might not be able to see each other as much as we would like. But, I'm NOT going anywhere. We…we're serious about being together…aren't we?"

The note of doubt in his voice hit Dean like a bucket of ice water. "Of course we're serious, Cas-! Are you joking? What would make you think I wasn't serious about you?"

Castiel flinched and shook his head. "It's nothing. I just," He ran his hands through his hair, messing up the slicked down strands. His deep blue eyes finally locked onto Dean's and stayed.

Dean couldn't help but grin softly.

There was his Cas.

He had been hiding under that fancy suit and expensive looking haircut, after all.

Castiel looked around the nearly abandoned office with a frown before turning his blue eyes to Dean. "I have…a lot that I need to go over with you. I can't do it here. Are we, uh, still on for tonight? My place?"

Dean smiled, and nodded, wanting desperately to pull Cas into a kiss and never let go. "Yeah, you can tell me what all is going on tonight, Cas." He beamed as Cas' face finally broke into a hopeful smile. "Bring it on."

He leaned forward, tugging gently at Castiel's tie to pull him into a soft kiss.

"Would you like me to add that meeting into your schedule for today, Mr. Novak?"

The two men jerked apart as if they were burned. Castiel spun around, face red. "Alfie? How-! I-I asked for some privacy!"

"Oh, sorry sir! You just said 'Ladies', so I figured you didn't mind me being here." His head leaned out from behind the computer desk where he sat, blinking innocently.

"I didn't even know you were THERE, Alfie! How do you keep doing that?!"

"Sir?"

Castiel shook his head, and turned back to Dean, with a frustrated sigh. His blue eyes met Dean's with a small, hopeful smile. "Tonight?"

"Yeah, tonight." Dean grinned, taking Castiel's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

…-^o^-…

Once Dean had departed into the elevator, Castiel turned to Alfie with a frown. The young man looked up and gave him the usual bright smile.

The kid seemed nice. And he was certainly well-qualified, especially for an intern. If he didn't have the odd habit of blending in unnoticed so well, he would actually be a great worker to have around. When had he started working in the ADA Head office...?

Castiel sighed to himself. He needed to return to the meeting. There had been too many interruptions today. If he kept this up, he'd never get home to meet Dean this evening.

A sudden thought struck him.

"Hey, uh, Alfie?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Would you mind picking some items up at the grocery store for me?"

"Absolutely, sir!"

Castiel smiled to himself.

He owed Dean an apple pie...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else want to high-five Dean for knocking the shit out of Dick? (Raises hand)
> 
> Let me know how you all are feeling! Things are starting to escalate so fast! : D
> 
> Next up: How is Cas going to keep Dean safe?
> 
> And why is Lisa back?
> 
> What will Cas say when he finds out?


	26. 'Reality'- Population: Dean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, turns out reader Shinyredapples has crazy-awesome artistic skills! They took up my fan art request for the Claw Machine picture, and it is FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC! The link is below in the Comments section, and I'm putting it here: http://gothamteaparty.tumblr.com/post/116683115888/cas-will-grip-dean-raise-him-from-  
> perdition-even
> 
> I KNOW that it is possible to include art in these posts. I've seen it done. If someone could help me out here...? 
> 
> Meanwhile, in the story: Alright, remember that drama I've been warning you all was coming? Yeah. It's time. Prepare yourselves emotionally. ; D

'This is not a good idea, Castiel. For the record, I do not approve.'

Castiel tried not to cringe visibly as Michael's irritated voice carried into the room through the phone speakers. They were having a virtual tele-conference with the portion of the team that was holding down the fort in San Diego.

Dean had left almost an hour before. Dick was sitting sullenly at Castiel's left, still nursing his swollen jaw.

"I understand, Michael." So far, Michael had made it very clear that Castiel's decision to remain in Lawrence was an unacceptable risk, not to mention a huge burden on everyone.

Castiel fought the urge to submit to Michael's will. It had been ingrained in him for the last decade that Michael was his father's second-hand man. It was Michael who should be running the company in his father's absence. Michael was the one qualified to do it. In all seriousness, Castiel should have been heeding all advice the man gave.

But, that was not how it had worked out. By some insane or senile decision by his father, Castiel was the one responsible for the entire company.

A company that was riddled with spies and scandals.

'Are you planning to ever return to San Diego? Or do we need to establish Lawrence as the new ADA Headquarters?' It was clear from his tone that he was being sarcastic. Even Castiel caught it.

"That's…I will have an answer for you tomorrow." Castiel stated.

'Why tomorrow? Why not now? I don't know if you are aware of it, but the company is racing against the clock to stay afloat. We need to make your ascension to power known as soon as possible. We can't afford to waste time.' The rest of the team packed in the room shifted uncomfortably, not looking at Castiel.

He searched for the right words. "I plan to- to discuss the matter with my…" He paused, clenching his teeth. He wasn't sure who all knew about Dean. Or even if Michael had been briefed about the 'local boyfriend', as Naomi had put it. He wished there weren't so many people listening. But then, they were all a part of protecting his image, so if they weren't aware that he was gay, then they needed to get up to speed- fast. "I'm telling my boyfriend, Dean, this evening. My decision of whether to stay or leave is up to him. If he will…come with me to California or choose to stay here."

The awkward silence that filled the room hurt Castiel's burning ears.

'…I see.' Came Michael's stony voice through the static of the phone. 'I'm sure we can all rest easy tonight, knowing that the handling of the company is being left to the whims of a mechanic.'

In the gaping silence that followed Michael's words, the voice of Balthazar filled the line from the same end, his drawling british accent cheerful as he supplied, 'Easy now, Mikey. He's not just some mechanic. He's also in a band. The lead singer, in fact! Isn't that so, Cassie?'

Castiel winced. He could practically feel Michael's silent fury spilling out of the phone connection. "Yes. Thanks, Balthazar…."

…-^o^-…

"Castiel!" Dick's voice rang out down the hallway. They had finally ended the tele-conference from Hell, and Castiel was making a quick escape to his office so he could take a few moments, undisturbed, to slam his head into the hard surface of his desk- not for the first time since he got the news of his 'promotion' yesterday morning.

He took several calming breaths, slowing down so Dick could catch up.

"Were you serious in there? Are you actually going to leave all of this up to that-" Castiel snapped his head around to shoot Dick a glare. Whatever he had been about to call Dean died on his tongue. He rallied, "I'm just…I'm concerned, Castiel. Everyone is. Think about this rationally, from our point of view. You barely know this man! How can you leave the fate of the entire company in his hands? It's terrifying the hold he has over you! Don't you see why Michael and the rest of us are worried?"

His eyes were pleading, and his words silky and reasonable. Castiel tried to shake them off, turning to continue to his office. "I won't tell you again, Dick. Stay out of mine and Dean's relationship!"

Dick caught the door, glancing around before meeting Castiel's eye and whispering, "You're taking this too far, Castiel. Getting too attached this stranger. And for what? So you can have a pretty face to wake up to? Someone who will 'bottom' for you, for a change? Because, I've been thinking, I could reconsider-"

Castiel groaned in exasperation, shaking his head slowly, "Dean isn't even a 'bottom' Dick. And this isn't about his looks! Listen carefully, because I am not saying this again." He held Dick's gaze, "It's my decision whether or not to stay in Lawrence. If I want Dean to be a part of that decision, then that is none of your business."

He shut the door to his office firmly in Dick's face, cutting off the argument he was about to make.

…-^o^-...

Dick stared at the door that had just shut inches from his face. This was becoming a bad habit of Castiel's.

He probably picked it up hanging around that uncouth mechanic and his pack of bottom-dwelling friends.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, and dialed a number.

After a few moments, the other line picked up.

"Do you have the information I asked for?" He asked quietly, eyeing Castiel's door and moving his gaze to the secretaries seated at their desks a few meters away. He took long strides across the hall to the privacy of the atrium area.

"Yes…Yes, I already know all that….Okay…. Hmm, that might work…Wha-? Wait, say that again… You are positive it's her?…." Dick stood stunned as the investigator on the other end of the line repeated the information again. He listened, frowning in disbelief at first.

Then his face split into a wide, shark-like grin.

"Give me the address where she is staying."

After a few moments of quick scribbling into a notepad, and another short exchange, Dick hung up his cell phone.

He collapsed into one of the available chairs, a flood of euphoria rushing through him.

He had him. He definitely had Dean now.

He just needed to play it out exactly right.

Dean Winchester's world was about to come crashing down around him. And Dick was going to make sure Castiel witnessed the full-scale of the disaster so he would finally come to realize what a huge mistake he had made by believing in the mechanic.

…-^o^-…

"Geez, Bobby! I'd like to get off sometime today, if that's okay with you. I gotta meet up with Cas tonight." Dean's whining voice filled the bay, earning whistles and cat-calls from the other mechanics.

"Well, you should have thought about that before you decided to take an extended lunch break, you idjit!"

Dean grimaced. Bobby was right. Dean hadn't even thought to call the shop when he decided to storm into the ADA. By the time he made it back to work, Bobby had been waiting to give him an earful.

On top of that, Sam had left a stinging voice mail on Dean's phone. It pretty much said that if Dean ever did something so fucking stupid that jeopardized Jess's job again, that Sam was going to take a sledgehammer to the Impala.

Of course, he wasn't serious. Just a threat.

…Probably.

Dean had no intention to find out, regardless.

None of the anger directed his way that afternoon could spoil his mood anyway. He was meeting up with Cas tonight. They were going to talk all of this out and fix whatever was bothering Cas and stressing him out. Then they were going to have crazy, barely-legal sex into the wee hours of the morning.

At least, if Dean had any say in the matter.

He grinned to himself, pulling out his phone for almost the twentieth time since returning from lunch. He re-read the text Cas had sent him a few hours ago.

C: I should be out of the office by eight. Planning a special treat for you. Call me when you are on your way over.

Dean smiled like an idiot at the phone. A treat, huh? Dean was letting his imagination run rampant, the anticipation already making him hard.

"Hello again, Mr. Winchester."

Dean's smile dropped instantly, his hand clenching tightly around the phone. "Oh, hello again, 'Prick'. Wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. How's the jaw?" He turned to meet the condescending smile of Dick Roman for the second time that day.

"Haha. I'm doing exceptionally well, Dean. Thank you for asking. I was hoping you and I could have a … little chat. Is there somewhere private we could speak?" His eyes trailed disdainfully over the squalor of the garage, before returning to smile smugly at Dean.

Dean fought back the urge to swing at the man again. Something about the rich bastard's smile really pissed him off.

Dean forced himself to smile back tightly and led him out of the bay, into the lot. He saw the rest of the crew watching them closely as they walked away. Benny sent Dean a quick head lift, silently asking if he wanted back-up. Dean gave one quick shake of his head. He could handle this douche-bag alone.

"So, I'm guessing you aren't here to talk about pressing charges, Prick?" Dean asked nonchalantly, hopping up onto the hood of a wrecked sedan.

Dick smirked, making Dean feel a brief tinge of unease. "No, Mr. Winchester. I understand that you felt the need to 'lash out' in the heat of the moment. Consider it forgiven and forgotten." He strolled a few steps away, his back to Dean.

Dean waited, but after a few moments he asked in annoyance, "So? Why the fuck are you here?"

Dick turned and his face was innocent. "Well, I just wanted to get a feel for the man who won Castiel. He's a tough guy to get close to. How did you manage it? And in such a short time, no less?"

Dean didn't feel like playing this 'jealous-ex' game, but the urge to put Dick into his place was too tempting. "Well, Prick. The thing is, me and Cas hit it off immediately. Didn't even have to work at it." He smiled cheerfully watching the other man closely. To his surprise, the jab did not seem to have any affect on his upbeat demeanor.

"Oh, come on, Dean. You can tell me. What, did you take him out for a nice dinner?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders confidently, "Nope. Just ordered a pizza. Went out for few burgers. Nothing fancy."

"Really? That's it? Hmm." Dick seemed to be thinking hard about Dean's words. "Well, that's quite a change. You see, when Castiel and I were together, we dined out at the very best restaurants- every day. He has a real passion for rare delicacies. I think his favorite dish was…ah, yes! It was Chef's Recommendation at Marvone's. Delicious plate- he insisted on going there constantly. A bit expensive, though. One hundred eighty dollars, I believe…" He trailed off, smiling to himself at the memory.

Dean tried not to let the shock show on his face.

How much? For 'a plate'?! Singular? It took practically a day, maybe two, of hard work for Dean to earn that much money.

Dean tried sound uncaring, "Huh? Too bad for you. You should've gotten him burgers and saved some cash, buddy. He loves those things." Dean grinned at the memories.

Dick's responding chuckle grated on Dean's nerves. "Yes, well. I'm sure it has been rough on him, adjusting to the meager fare of a small city like this. And not just food. Castiel and I had quite the nightlife, as well. He loved the opera- had to go every time they had a performance. Best seats in the house, of course. But, then, dating Castiel can get expensive, so I never thought twice about it." He sent Dean a sympathetic look. "Where have you found to take him around here?"

Dean was practically scowling at this point, but still replied with a sharp smile, "Oh, our activities tend to be centered around the bedroom, for the most part. Why bother leaving the apartment. You know what I mean?" He gave Dick a wink, a happy jolt shooting through him when the man's smile stiffened at the mention of having sex with Castiel.

"Yes. I'm sure you have been very preoccupied with the so-called 'honeymoon' phase." Dick's smile returned, more malicious than ever. "I suppose you haven't had much opportunity to really get to know him, then. Just the basics, I'm sure. Like his favorite color? You must know that by now."

Dean flinched and tried to hide it, but Dick's smile showed he caught the small tell. "Oh. No? Well, that's not very important anyway. I'm sure you've discussed everything else. Like his favorite books? And his plans for vacationing in Italy this year? At his family's properties just outside of Venice? No? Not even that?"

Dean was getting sick of this goading- fast. He jumped off the car, hands fisting at his sides. "Listen jackass, I get that you have a thing for Cas. Trust me, I can't fault you for that. But I have no problem faulting you for fucking up your chances with him. If I understood right, you got busted talking shit about him. Seems like all that textbook knowledge about him didn't cover the fact that he wouldn't put up with that bullshit, huh?"

All semblance of the calm façade had left Dick by this point. His eyes were dark as he snarled at Dean, "I may have made the mistake of losing Castiel, but that is irrelevant. I'll have him back in no time. Do you really think, Dean, that your little 'gay-trist' is going hold Castiel's attention for much longer?" Dean hissed at the man's words.

Dick ignored him, picking up momentum as he held Dean's eyes, "Castiel has just been named the head of the entire ADA."

Dean could only blink at the revelation. He didn't understand much about business. He wasn't even sure where Cas landed in the hierarchy of the ADA before now.

Did this really make such a big difference?

Rich was just…rich, right?

It wasn't like Cas would change with a little bit more money.

Hell, he had a million dollar painting hanging in his apartment like it was nothing. The guy was already wealthy.

And he chose to be with Dean anyway. So, it was no big deal, right?

Dick watched with a satisfied grin as Dean's eyes widened in shock. "Yes- Castiel is in charge now. Of a multi-billion dollar company. He's going to be the toast of every wealthy party across the entire globe, you pathetic moron. You really think he's planning to stay in the middle of 'Nowhere, Kansas' with a penniless, straight repairman."

Dean forced his thoughts to calm as he met the man's eye with a mocking glare, ready to meet Dick on his own terms and start fighting dirty, too. "You think I'm the pathetic one here? Listen closely you desperate fuck-tard. Cas chose to date me 'knowing' that I am a broke mechanic. In fact, he's got a kink for the whole 'greasy coveralls' look. So, if you think that he's gonna take one look at his bank account and suddenly realize that he can't get hard for me because of my minimum wage, then you don't know him as well as you think."

Dick was almost frozen in anger as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. When he finally spoke, the words slid out with icy precision. "What I think, Mr. Winchester, is that you are not even gay." Dean scoffed at the suggestion, but Dick continued, "I think that you have not even stopped to consider what being gay means for you and your 'Average Joe' life. I think Castiel isn't going to put up for long with a straight boyfriend who refuses to 'bottom' for him. Hah! He barely tolerated that when he was with me- one of the few topics we disagreed on. I think when you do come out of your haze of horniness and testosterone, back to reality, that you will agree with me. You are not gay, Dean Winchester. You are having a few weeks of sexual deviance. And I know why."

The last statement was gritted out almost gleefully and Dean stiffened, the man's words already wiggling their way into the dark, insecure corners of his mind. "What the fuck and you talking about?" He managed to growl, stepping dangerously close to Dick's tall form.

"I know about all of it. Your little proposal. The months of pouting and pining for your 'girlfriend'. The one night stands and heavy drinking afterwards. I wonder how Castiel will take finding out that you are still in love with your 'would-be' fiancée? I'm guessing that never came up during the rare occasions when you stopped using him to get yourself off and actually spoke."

Dean had no idea what to say to the accusation. He stood stock-still, mouth hanging open uselessly.

Oh, god. Dick was going to tell Cas about Lisa. About the proposal.

Dean sucked in air, his mind racing desperately, ignoring Dick's gloating smile in front of him. It wasn't that he didn't want Castiel to know about it. He had always planned to tell him. He just didn't think there was a rush.

But, he didn't want Cas to hear Dick's version of it. He wanted to explain it himself. Let him know that it was completely over. Lisa was in the past. She was going to stay there. Cas was his present. His future.

He had to tell Cas about everything before Dick. If Dick had a chance, then he would obviously spin it against Dean. He would try to convince Castiel that Dean was just a straight man going through some 'post-rejection gay phase'. That he wasn't serious.

And that, on top of everything else - the sudden change of status at work, the tough schedule, Dick's presence - it could ruin it all. Everything that they have.

Dean's hands shot out, grabbing Dick by his perfectly tailored suit and shoving him roughly against the side of a stack of cars. "You listen to me, you bastard! Lisa and me- we are done! She walked out of my life and, yeah, I was upset. But I've got Cas now. He is my damn 'boyfriend'. That means I am gay. I don't give two flying fucks about who came before him or the fucking terminology for what we are. Nothing you say to him is going to change that!"

Dick was chuckling as Dean finished. He flicked his hands at where Dean was holding him, pushing him away and stepping out as he smoothed the wrinkles from his suit.

Dean watched him angrily, a small knot of worry working its way into his stomach.

"Dean. Dean. Dean." Dick shook his head, looking away as he smiled. "It's impressive, the lengths that you will go to lie to yourself." He began walking back to the open bay area.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, fucker?! Hey! I'm not done with you yet!" He followed Dick closely, trying to resist the urge to tackle the man and just start beating the high-holy-fuck out of him, even if doing so would upset Cas again.

But they had come back into view of the rest of the maintenance team, and more importantly, the customers. Dean let the rage writhe inside, fighting to keep it controlled before he made another scene.

He didn't hear Ash's warning call. Or notice the wide-eyed horror in everyone's eyes as they stood staring at him.

His attention was completely focused on Dick. When Dick finally turned, it was to whisper lowly to Dean. His smile was wider than ever- like he had just opened the best Christmas present in the world. "I think you should reconsider this absurd belief of yours that you are gay and that you and Castiel are going to stay together forever." His voice was too low to be heard by anyone else. Dean had to lean in just to catch the words. "After all, not many gay men can say they have a child with a woman."

He turned his head with a smile and Dean followed his gaze to the front of the bay.

Lisa was standing there, near the front office. She sent Dean a nervous smile and a small wave.

But his eyes were locked lower, on the unmistakable bulge of her belly.

A strong hand grasping his shoulder, pulled his numb mind back from the shock of the image in front of him. Dick's voice drifted over him like it was coming from miles away.

"I think it's time you returned to the real world, Mr. Winchester."

…((O_O))…

"Huh." Tessa murmured, gazing out the window of the diner. She turned with a soft smile to Ted, who was sitting silently with Chuck in his usual corner. "Looks like somebody stole your favorite bench, Ted."

The old man lifted his head to look out the window. He smiled gently, "Yes. So it appears."

Without another word, he stood and walked out of the diner. Chuck and Tessa followed with their eyes as he strolled down the street and finally took a seat next to the stranger in front of the cemetery.

"Do you think he knows him?" Tessa asked dumbfounded.

Chuck smiled sadly, turning back to his coffee. "Seems like it."

…((O_O))…

Gabriel was staring sadly at the stolen picture of Ruby's smiling face when someone sat down next to him.

He glanced over at the man, then back to his picture with a low huff.

After a short silence, Gabriel tucked the photo gently back into his jacket and spoke.

"What the hell are you doing here, Dad? The company is falling apart, you know?" He asked quietly.

"Yes. I know." The old man stated calmly, staring out at the people passing down the busy street. "I left you instructions. You were supposed to stay. Help save the company. You and Castiel."

His voice wasn't accusing, but Gabriel stiffened anyway. "That's what you wanted? For me and Cassie to run your damn company for you while you came to Sioux Falls and…and moped over Mom's grave?" His voice cracked at the mention of his mother.

"You need to go back, Gabriel." The soft voice pressed. Gabriel's head snapped around to glare at his father angrily. "Your brother needs you."

Gabriel bit his lip, looking away. "Cassie is strong. He can handle this whole mess that you left behind. He may not realize it, but he can."

His father smiled, and said carefully, "You can, too. You're both very strong. Resourceful."

Gabriel scowled. "Don't try to flatter me, Dad. It's your company. Your job. I came here to bring you back."

His father shook his head slowly, still smiling as he stared at the crowds. "No, Gabriel. You two have to do this alone." Gabriel was about to object angrily, when he stated, "Castiel is in danger."

Gabriel's mouth snapped shut. He blinked at his father for several moments. "What the hell do you mean 'in danger'. From what? And don't say Dick Roman, cause Cassie can kick that loser's ass, easy."

"Not from Mr. Roman, no. At least, I don't think he is a part of this. No, from the spies in the company." Gabriel's face contorted in confusion.

"Well, yeah, Dad. Technically we are all in danger from them."

His father sighed, and turned to his son, smiling sadly. "Yes, but Castiel has a very big weakness. He's too kind-hearted. He has something that they can exploit, doesn't he?" Gabriel frowned. His father continued, "It appears that the spies are aware of his new boyfriend. Tell me, Gabriel, do you think your brother can remain strong if the enemies threaten Dean Winchester?"

Gabriel's face paled and his mouth dropped open.

"Oh…shit." He cursed loudly, jumping to his feet.

Gabriel's father stared after him as he ran away quickly, presumably back to his brother's side.

After several more thoughtful minutes, he stood slowly and made his way back to the diner.

…((O_O))…

Dean knew he was going to puke.

It wasn't a question of 'if' so much as 'when'.

As soon as he had led Lisa into the small break room and locked the door, his shaky legs had given out on him. He barely managed to stumble to a nearby chair.

Now, he sat in the silence of the room, just his and Lisa's breaths filling it. His body felt cold and clammy.

"Dean…?"

His eyes lifted to lock on Lisa's and he asked with a trembling voice, "Is it…mine?"

Lisa stared at him for several moments that seemed to stretch into a millennia. Her beautiful, familiar face was like looking at childhood photographs.

Dean had so many great memories of her.

He knew every crease and line on her face. Knew that if he leaned forward toward her shining black hair he would catch a whiff of her sweet shampoo. Knew those big, brown eyes that were locked onto his.

He knew Lisa. And, God, he had missed her.

It was like a sudden punch to the gut. Everything was coming back to him.

He had wanted to marry this woman. Had spent months with her, years before that as best friends. Lisa was a huge part of his life. Losing her had been like losing Bobby or Ellen or Benny. She had always been with him and beside him. They had spent hours tucked beside each other in bed, sharing secrets and fears, hopes and dreams.

He knew her intimately, just as she knew him.

So he spotted her face crumpling as soon as he asked the question. And she knew he saw it.

She abruptly burst into tears, hands flying to her face. For Dean, it was too much, too suddenly. He was out of his chair, wobbly legs forgotten instantly as he pulled her into a warm, tight hug on the old couch.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. Everything's fine, Lisa. It's all fine." He sat there holding her shaking, sobbing form for the longest time, whispering soothing words into her ear.

When her sobs and trembling finally died down, she spoke, her voice cracking. "I had…a plan. I had a good plan. I was ready. I knew exactly what I was going to say. Been…been practicing for months. I just…I just-" She erupted into more sobs, arms holding Dean tight like she was going to drown if he let go. "Please! Oh, please, god, Dean, don't hate me! Please say you won't hate me- no matter what! Please!"

Dean patted her back as she hiccuped. The fear and desperation in her voice almost stopped his breathing. His chest was tight, heart beating fast. "Lisa, hey. I could never hate you. You know that. I'll never, ever hate you. Just…talk to me, okay? Tell me everything."

This just made Lisa even more upset. Her red-rimmed, brown eyes found Dean's and she held his gaze, trying to gasp in air to speak through her sobs. "I- Oh, Dean! I was going to lie. I was…I was going to tell you- tell everyone it was…that it was yours!"

She choked as she leaned into his chest, and for the first time since seeing Lisa standing pregnant in the garage, Dean breathed in deeply with relief. And maybe ...regret?

"Lisa, you gotta calm down. Okay? I'm right here. I'm ready to listen. Just, breath alright?"

It took several minutes before she calmed down enough to speak without bursting into tears again. Dean listened in silence as she explained her last few months to him.

"I went to my sister's, after I…when I left. I didn't even really pack, you know. Just grabbed a few things and hit the road. Made it to her place in eight hours. I was…Dean, I was so upset with you. I was angry. I wanted…I wanted you to love me. Really love me. Like I- Like I love you. And you didn't." Dean shifted, about to speak, but she stopped him. "No. Don't. I know. Dean, I always knew you didn't love me like I loved you. I just-I just wanted it so bad…."

She paused, eyes staring at nothing, while Dean's hand rubbed gently up and down her arm.

"I forgot my pills." She suddenly let out a humorless laugh, then followed it with a sob and a fresh set of tears. "I forgot my damn birth control pills in your damn bathroom cabinet. But, I was so angry… Dean-" She looked up meeting his eyes again and whispered, "What am I going to do, Dean…?"

He didn't have an answer. Hell, he couldn't even wrap his mind around any of this yet. It was surreal. He had known Lisa for so many years. The fact that she was pregnant was just mind-blowing. How was it possible that Lisa was going to have a baby? Give life to a person?

He stared at her large belly, trying to comprehend the concept of pregnancy and birth. He had never really known a pregnant person before. He tended to steer clear of them when he saw them at the store or anywhere around.

After several moments, he let the words fall out. "Who is the dad?"

It seemed like Lisa wasn't going to answer him, but she finally began speaking, as if the words hurt her physically to say.

"Some punk biker guy. I went…a little crazy for a while there. Didn't care about anything. Just wanted to…to forget you. Didn't care with who. He was the first guy I could find. Had on a Nickleback T-shirt." Dean grimaced, but she kept speaking. "When I found out I was pregnant, I confronted him. He was…" She looked like she was about to start sobbing again at the memory, but Dean pulled her close, resting his head against hers. She took more deep breaths and continued. "He was pissed off. A real bastard about it all. Wouldn't own up to it being his baby. Called me…hateful names."

Dean felt anger coiling in his gut as she spoke. This motherfucker had used Lisa- his sweet, loving Lisa- and then threw her to the curb like she was garbage. Not just her, but his own baby, too. What kind of sick fuck could look at Lisa, see how beautiful and kind she was, know that she was carrying his child- and not care?

"I kept confronting him about it. I couldn't drop it. Went to his house. His work. His parent's house. Tried to talk to him. He finally…he finally said he'd marry me. Apologized for everything. Said he was just scared and he wanted to be with me and the baby." She stopped there and Dean waited.

When she didn't immediately continue, Dean filled in the next part. "Jo, uh, told us…about the engagement. We didn't- I didn't know about the baby. Or the circumstances."

Lisa nodded weakly, swallowing as she swiped away more tears. "He-he changed his mind. A few weeks ago. Came to me with cash. Hundreds of dollars…. Oh, Dean-! He...he wanted me to abort it."

Dean stiffened and growled out a low string of curse words. "Give me his name and address." Dean rose to his feet, pacing in a rage, the words streaming from him almost continuously. "I'll kill him. Tell me the fucker's name, Lis. Sick fuck doesn't want his own kid. Fucking Asshole. I'll beat the shit out of him!"

"Dean, it's…" She shook her head sadly, her eyes gentle on his face. "It doesn't matter now. He was…he was just awful, Dean." She leaned forward, holding her head in her hands. Her muffled voice continued. "I don't want that man in my life. In my baby's life! He said if I didn't abort it then I-I had better not expect him to pay child support." She laughed hard into her hands."

Finally, she raised her head, brown eyes meeting his as she begged helplessly, "That's why I came back here. Dean, I-I don't want my baby to know it wasn't wanted. I want my baby to have a father. A good father..."

…((O_O))…

Castiel grabbed his coat and briefcase, tossing in a few important documents that he needed to look over tonight.

Not likely, he thought with a smile.

He had plans for tonight. Plans that involved pie and a certain green-eyed mechanic that had secret kink for tattoo licking.

So, big plans.

He hurried from his office, prepared to escape from the building and get home earlier than planned. He needed to make the pie. Then it would take time to bake. And to cool off.

The sudden image of licking warm pie of Dean's abs hit Castiel hard, his pants tightening painfully. He sucked in a deep breath, moving faster.

He had just shut the door to his office, and turned to sprint for the elevator, when he noticed Charlie still at her desk. The lamp beside her on the table was one of the only lights still on in the office.

He slowed to stand in front of her. "Charlie? It's seven o'clock- why haven't you left for the day?"

Charlie gave him a small smile, and shrugged nervously, "Uh, just, you know- wanted to get some more work knocked out. Alfie had a lot, so I figured I would help him. You know, that guy is like, freakishly efficient. Some of the work he has to do is heavy-duty stuff! I mean, he has his hands in everything! I don't know how an intern can manage this much high-level paperwork! And when I asked him about it, he was all like, 'It's a huge pleasure and honor to be entrusted with such important duties'. Just like that! Talk about grateful for having a job! But, I totally get it- I mean, keeping a job in this economy? Don't get me started on some of the places I've been stuck working-"

She would have continued her rambling, but Castiel cut in, "Charlie, is…is this about Ruby?"

Charlie wouldn't look up at him. She shifted some paperwork pointlessly, before answering quietly, "Ruby? Oh, no. Nope. What made you think of her? No, I am one-hundred percent not threatened by the fact that you have been assigned an extra secretary. I mean, come on. Why would I be? Gabriel has got, like, exclusive claim on her anyway. He's…uh, he's coming back to get her soon, isn't he?"

Castiel frowned at the question. Finally, he walked around her desk, borrowing Anna's chair and pulling it over to sit by Charlie.

"Charlie. I'm sorry about all of this confusion and secrecy." He searched for a safe way to explain all of this to her. "It's…well, it's very complicated and I'm not sure I understand it all, myself. But, I'm going to do my best to look out for you until it is all settled, okay?"

Charlie nodded, her eyes finally moving to meet Castiel's. She looked sad, and it nearly made Castiel start dumping everything that had happened over the last few days on her. He needed someone to confide in. It seemed like forever since he and Charlie had been sitting in these same spots, eating their lunches and brainstorming about how to arrange the best Think Tanks possible.

He decided to change the subject, instead. "How are you and Gilda doing? Beat up any more, ah, dwarfs lately?"

Charlie's face relaxed into a smile. "We're doing great. We actually had another date Saturday. Things are getting pretty intense, you know?" She winked suggestively.

Castiel almost asked her how intense things could possibly get in a virtual world, but Charlie suddenly piped up, "How about you and Dean? Word on the street is he practically has a toothbrush at your place already. Moving fast, huh?" She nudged him with her elbow as he blushed.

"People sure do like to talk around here, don't they?" He sputtered, trying not to show how happy he was.

"They don't have to talk very loudly, that's for sure! We all had front row seats to that super-sexy lover's brawl today. Don't tell me you weren't more than a little turned on that Dean punched your Ex? Please, please, please tell me it was because he was defending your honor!" When Castiel blushed harder she practically squealed with delight. "Oh my God! That is so fucking adorable! You better be seeing him tonight! You should totally offer to put an ice pack on his poor, bruised knuckles while chastising him" She made the word sound extremely lewd as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Charlie, that's not how it works in real life. Dean should never have let Dick get to him. It was grossly inappropriate."

"Well, then you should do something 'grossly inappropriate' to Dean tonight. You know, fight fire with fire!" She erupted into more laughter at Castiel's disapproving frown, but he ended up cracking and they both laughed together, the sounds echoing down the dark hallways of the office.

After Castiel managed to get his chuckling back under control, he stood to say good-bye. "I need to get home soon, actually. I have a surprise planned for him and I need to get it ready. I'll see you tomorrow, Charlie."

"Yep, have a good night, boss! I expect you to come limping in here tomorrow morning, like you did on Monday!"

Castiel's jaw dropped and his face turned the shade of a tomato as he dove into the elevator.

Just before the elevator doors could safely shut, he heard Charlie taunting shout, "Yeah, that's right! We ALL noticed-!"

…((O_O))…

"Dean…? Dean, come on. You need to stop. You've had enough." Sam tried to pulled the bottle from Dean's hand, but he wouldn't let go.

Benny, Garth, Jo, and the rest of their tight group of friends stood a short distance from the table, casting worried glances between each other.

"Dean, hey? Listen, we need to talk this out, okay? Everything is going to be fine. Just talk to us." Sam gripped his brother's arm, trying to pull his attention from the scarred surface of the table where Dean had been staring for the last four hours.

He was past drunken stupor.

No one had warned the Road House staff about what had happened in the auto shop, so when Dean had appeared and began ordering drinks, they hadn't bothered to keep count.

He had drank a lot before they found him.

"Dean, honey?" Ellen sat down beside him, arm over his shoulder as she leaned in close. "This isn't how you handle things, okay? You need to stop drinking and sober up. We are all right here. We can talk about Lisa. And the baby."

Dean suddenly pitched forward on the table.

After a few stunned seconds, Ellen lifted his head and checked him. "He's out." She announced.

The rest of the group sighed as they shook their heads sadly.

Sam moved forward, lifting Dean's arm over his shoulder. Benny stepped forward and took the other. They half-carried, half-dragged Dean down the hall into the kitchen area. Jo and Ash came in behind them carrying several blankets, and together they set up a small padded area for Dean to sleep.

It was the same familiar drill as when Lisa had left...

When they emerged from the back, the group took their seats together.

Sam was the first to speak. "What the hell happened? I don't…I don't understand any of this." His voice was tired. It was late. They had been sitting with Dean trying to coax him into speaking and all they could get from him was, "'M gonna be a daddy."

Benny answered, "Some suit showed up at the garage this afternoon. He and Dean went out back to talk. While they were back there Lisa showed up. Very pregnant. Said she was told Dean would talk to her and that he wanted her to meet him there. Then Dean and the suit came back and…." Benny shrugged, "The suit ducked out with a shit-eating grin on his face. Dean and Lisa went into the break room. When Dean came out, he went straight to the Impala and left. Lisa wouldn't say what they talked about, but…uh, seems pretty clear. We…well, we thought Dean was heading home. You know, to- to think it all out. Didn't know he was coming here…"

Everyone listened closely. There was a deep silence from the group, a pocket of silence in the corner of the otherwise loud and crowded bar.

"She…she had no right to spring that on him so suddenly." Garth muttered. "He- he has Castiel now. That's not fair."

"Garth, she…she doesn't know. About Castiel. Or any of… that." Jo whispered.

"You knew about this, didn't you? That Lisa was back. And pregnant. You've kept in touch with her." The accusation from Sam cracked like a whip in the silence. Jo paled, her eyes watering as she looked down.

"Hey! This is not her fault, Sam." Ellen's voice was sharp, but not angry. "Now, if Lisa is carrying Dean's baby- which nobody seems to have confirmed yet- then those two got themselves into this. No one else. I know it's not easy to hear, but they will need to work this out themselves. We can't go around making these decisions for them."

The group nodded slowly. Sam murmured, "But, what about Castiel? Dean's been…so happy." He let the statement trail off as the rest of the group sat in silence, thinking.

…((O_O))…

Ellen: You two need to get the hell back to Lawrence

Mary: ?

Ellen: Lisa's back

Ellen: and pregnant.

...((O_O))...

It was 11:30pm.

Castiel sat on his couch, Lucifer sleeping in his lap, while he stared into the kitchen where a fresh apple pie sat cooling on the counter.

He checked his phone for the third time in the last five minutes.

Nothing.

He had already called Dean three times, the phone ringing before going to voicemail.

He had texted twice. No response.

Where are you Dean? Castiel thought in the silence of his apartment.

…((O_O))…

"He's gone!"

Ash burst from the back hallway into the almost empty bar. Several heads shot up from where they were talking tiredly.

Sam jumped to his feet. "What do you mean he's gone?!" He didn't wait for her answer as he raced back into the kitchen.

Sure enough, Dean's place on the floor was empty.

Shit-! Oh, shit!

Sam ran back out to the rest, shaking his head. To his left, Benny appeared yelling across the bar from the door. "The Impala's still there!"

"Fuck!" Sam swore, "Did he get a cab? Could he have gone to Lisa's?" He turned to Jo, who raised her hands helplessly. "I-I don't know, Sam. Maybe she told him where she was staying. It's possible."

Sam ran his hands through his long hair in frustration. "He's too fucking drunk to be wandering around after such big news. We need to find him before he does something stupid! Alright! Ash and Garth- check around here. Try outside, too. Maybe he's just passed out looking for the bathroom. Benny- check our place." He took his keys out, removing one and tossing it across to Benny. "Jo, you and me are going to Lisa's. I'll keep trying to to call him on his cell. Let's go!"

The group split up, darting into action.

…((O_O))…

Castiel awoke in his bed to the sound of his doorbell.

Without even thinking, he was on his feet hurrying to answer it. A quick check of the peep hole confirmed his suspicions.

Dean.

His hands fumbled as he quickly unlocked the door, throwing it open excitedly.

"Dean! I waited all night. What took you-"

His words were abruptly cut short by Dean surging forward, wrapping his arms around Castiel in a deep embrace. The strong smell of alcohol was all over him, and he swayed unsteadily in Castiel's arms.

"Dean? Are you- whoa! Careful." Dean stumbled dangerously as he suddenly began lurching in the direction of the bedroom, pulling Castiel along with him. "Dean, wait, okay. Just hold on. Let me shut the door." Castiel tried to shake loose from Dean's warm arms unsuccessfully, so he was forced to pull the heavy man along with him as he shut and locked his door. As he turned back and started moving toward the bedroom, Dean's hot mouth found his neck, latching on and nipping softly but insistently. Castiel laughed quietly, half-carrying Dean into his room. "Had a bit to drink this evening?"

Dean just hummed, smiling as they both flopped onto the soft mattress. Castiel shifted, pulling Dean's stiff limbs up onto the bed to make him comfortable.

After several minutes he finally had Dean arranged properly and his shoes and jacket removed. Dean rolled to him, pulling him down into another warm hug, nuzzling his neck and hair. "Mmmm…shmell goood…"

Castiel laughed. "Well, I'm glad you came over. I guess it's better late than never. Do you want to tell me why you finally showed up drunk at my apartment at," He looked at his watch, "Three o'clock in the morning?" He ran his hand through the soft fuzz of Dean's hair soothingly.

"Mmm. Came ta…ta- gotta breakup. 'M not gay, Cassss." Dean wiggled closer into Castiel's arms as the other man froze, breath hitching.

"…What? Dean-?" Castiel pulled away slowly, causing Dean to groan and try to to pull him back. "Dean, wh-what did you say?"

"Mmm, said… gotta breakup. 'M gonna be a daddy, Casss. Gonna marry Lisha and be…be a good dad-dy."

Castiel could feel his heart stuttering painfully in his chest, seeming loud in the silence of the room. He pushed himself out of Dean's arms, bringing his hands up to both sides of Dean's frowning face. "Dean, you're- you're drunk. You aren't making sense, okay? I- I'll get you some water…"

He moved to stand but Dean suddenly sat up, grabbing Castiel back into his arms with giddy chuckle. "M' gonna be a daddy, Casss. Lisa's- 's pregnant. Gonna get married…"

Castiel pushed against Dean roughly, trying to get some distance from him. He stood at the side of the bed, looking down in the shadowed darkness of the bedroom. He could see Dean's happy face blinking slowly up at him as he bobbed unsteadily.

"Dean…are you, are you serious? Is Lisa…-" He couldn't get the words out, choking as he tried.

This couldn't be happening. He was drunk. Confused. It wasn't possible….

The faint sound of buzzing filled the tense silence. Dean collapsed into the pillows with another groan, mumbling, "Stahp calling Sammieeee…."

Castiel moved forward carefully, avoiding getting pulled back onto the bed by Dean. He reached into Dean's back pocket, pulling out his vibrating phone. The caller ID said 'Sammy'.

Castiel stepped across the room and out, shutting the door behind him with a gentle click.

He tried speak, to answer, but his voice failed him.

'Dean? Dean are you there? Where the hell are you, man?!'

"…Sam." Castiel managed to croak.

'…Castiel?'

"Yeah. It's me." He heard Sam curse lowly on the other end of the line.

'Is…is Dean with you?'

"…Yeah."

'Shit. Did he- has he said…anything to you?'

"Yeah." Castiel replied weakly, leaning his back against the cool wall of the living room. The feeling of tiny pin-pricks pulling at his pant leg indicated Lucifer was at his feet. "Sam, he-he said that…Lisa…"

'I'm going to come pick him up, okay? Don't worry about anything. Just- just tell me where you live and I'll be there in a few minutes, alright? Castiel?'

"Is it true, Sam…?"

'Castiel...it's- I don't- They said…they said a guy in a suit came by the shop and…then Lisa. I-I can't talk about this with you, man. Just-'

"Is she really pregnant…with Dean's…?"

There was a silence on the line.

Castiel felt his stomach tightening painfully, his throat closing, preventing him from breathing. His legs gave out and he slid in a heap down the wall into the cold floor.

'Listen- tell me where you live, Cast-' Sam's voice cut out as Castiel hung up on him.

His shaking hand holding the phone dropped to his side. After a few moments it began buzzing again.

Castiel ignored it.

Lucifer climbed up his legs and chest, sniffing his mouth before leaning in to start pulling and chewing at his hair. Castiel didn't care.

After a few minutes on the cold, hardwood floor, Castiel rose, holding on to the wall for balance. His shaky legs carried him back into the bedroom. Dean's form was stretched out across the bed, his breathing deep and steady.

Castiel sat Dean's phone on top of his jacket, then picked up his own from the nightstand.

He stepped back out into the living room, staring at the phone. Finally, he dialed a number and waited.

Dick's muffled voice picked up almost immediately. '...Castiel? It's la-'

"What the fuck have you done, Dick?" His voice was low, and angry.

'…what I had to do.'

"You- you son of a-"

'Don't put all of this on me, Castiel!' Dick's voice was low, filled with unrepentant fury. 'He's the one that knocked her up. Not me. Did you know he proposed to her? Did he tell you about that? He asked her to marry him, Castiel- months ago! Before he even met you!' Castiel sat heavily onto the couch, eyes shutting as Dick's voice continued, 'SHe said No to HIM. He's the one who wanted to start a family and live happily ever after! Now he- well, he has his chance….'

Castiel didn't have anything to say. He let the knowledge wash over him in the empty living room.

'…Castiel, he-' Dick's voice was suddenly softer, almost sad. "He was never going to stay with you. I tried to tell yo-'

Castiel hung up.

…(p_q)...

He wasn't sure how much time passed, with him sitting stone-still on the couch. Lucifer was curled in his lap, breathing gently.

When he finally stood, it was to walk to the bedroom silently.

He opened the closet, stripping off his pajama pants and dressing in one of his new suits.

He pulled out a large suitcase from the bottom of the closet and packed it, careful not to make enough noise to wake Dean, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

Castiel couldn't even look at the man. It hurt just being this close.

He stepped back out into the living room, suitcase rolling behind him, as the first signs of dawn began to show outside his large windows.

He scribbled a short note onto a piece of paper, then folded it and wrote Dean's name on the front. He taped it to the inside of the front door, where it couldn't be missed.

Then, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Naomi's number. She picked up after several rings.

'Sir?' Her voice was tired, but still as efficient as ever.

"Have the private jet gassed up and ready to go immediately. Call Charlie and let her know to send all the paperwork and documents from my office to Head Quarters. I'm going straight over to the airport. You and Ruby meet me there as soon as you both can be ready." He bit out the orders with a cold efficiency.

'Oh…I- Yes, sir. I'll make the preparations to leave right away.'

"Do NOT notify Mr. Roman that we are leaving yet. I don't want him on our flight. He can damn-well fly commercial." Castiel ground the words out bitterly.

Lucifer was awake again, attempting to climb Castiel's leg as he moved over to the front door. Castiel bent looked down at him. Slowly, he reached down and picked the small cat up, bringing it in closely to his face. He held him close for several seconds, saying a dozen silent apologies to the animal in his head.

He finally continued, his voice tinged with sadness, "I'm also going to need you to make a call to the local Rescue, too. I'll discuss it with you more once we meet up."

'…Yes, sir.'

Castiel planted one final kiss on the top of the kitten's warm head, then sat him down gently on the floor. He muttered quietly to little creature, "I-I told you I couldn't keep you, buddy. You'll be fine though…. I'll make sure."

His eyes moved up unwillingly to stare at the closed bedroom door down the hall.

He stood there, in the doorway for several more moments while Naomi explained the preparations she was making.

Castiel wasn't listening. He just stared blankly at the door.

Maybe, if Dean came out right then…maybe he would stop him.

Tell him it was all a mistake.

Or a bad joke.

That he didn't really want to breakup.

That he loved him...

But, the door stayed closed.

Castiel spoke into the phone, "I want to be out of Lawrence, Kansas by within the hour, Naomi. Make it happen."

…(p_q)…

Castiel was just walking across the tarmac to board the small plane in the early light of morning when he noticed people's heads turning.

His gaze followed theirs, and he spotted Charlie's slim form, weighted down with a small rolling suitcase and and a heavy looking computer satchel, sprinting at full speed towards the plane. Several security guards were chasing closely after her, shouting loudly and yelling into radios.

Castiel quickly shouted orders for them to stop, signaling the security boss nearby to call the men off.

Charlie continued running toward him. She didn't stop until she was right in front of him. Her breath was ragged and she pitched forward gasping for air.

"Charlie…" Castiel said quietly, watching the young woman sadly.

"Boss-! I- please, please let me go with you!" She choked for a second and sucked in air desperately. "Please, boss, I-I really like working with you. You're, like, the coolest, most awesome boss I've ever had! Please don't leave me here. I can help! I don't know what's going on, but I promise, I can definitely help!" Her eyes met his, pleading.

"Charlie, things are going to be… difficult in San Diego. You have a life here. I…I can't ask you to give it all up."

She straightened, patting her laptop satchel, "But- but all I need is Gilda, boss! And I can take her with me anywhere." She whispered more desperately. "Please, boss…."

Castiel turned to glance at Naomi, who was watching the exchange a few feet away with Ruby.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I just don't think that you need another-"

"I want her to come."

There was stunned silence as all eyes fell on Ruby, who had been almost alarmingly quiet and unsociable since Gabriel's escape.

Charlie blinked in surprise as Ruby gave her a quick, appraising look up and down. "She's tough. I could use her help when this mess explodes." She turned to Naomi, addressing her with a quick nod. "She can handle it, ma'am."

Naomi returned her nod solemnly, then turned to Charlie with a small smile. "Very well, Ms. Bradbury."

Charlie's face split into a wide grin as she eagerly followed them as they hurried to board the plane.

Only a few short minutes later, they were up and in the air.

Castiel stared out the small window as Lawrence fell away beneath them.

Somewhere down there, Dean was sleeping peacefully in Castiel's bed while he flew farther and farther away.

Incredible to think that one man, in one small city in Kansas seemed so much larger than life.

He had almost given everything up...

Almost let the fate of his father's entire company rest in one man's hands.

Castiel turned back to the important paperwork laid out in front of him.

Not anymore. Now he could focus on what was really important.

The company was on the verge of disaster. His family had all left. And thousands of people were depending on him.

It was time to step up, and leave Dean and Kansas, behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the point in the story when people usually flip a table or threaten me with sharp objects. Put your pitchforks away and remember the context so far: You've all had a chance to bounce around in multiple characters heads for (holy Chuck!) about 100K words now. BUT- in actual storyline terms, two strangers with very different lives met a few weeks ago, spent a relatively small amount of that time in each others company- specifically NOT discussing their expectations of the future and their relationship, and BOOM! A pregnant ex appears, the family company is in crisis, and the Real World is suddenly happening around them again. As awesome as it would be for our two heroes to say 'Fuck the World THIS IS TRUE LURVE!'- it's just not very realistic (and it makes for some pretty boring storytelling-lol). So, let's put the fact that the endgame here is Destiel on the back burner and let these two hopeless romantics fuck up their lives a bit more. 
> 
> In summary, buckle up, bitches- the *real* fun starts now. ; D
> 
> Next up: Good question.
> 
> How is Dean going to handle this sudden twist?
> 
> And Castiel?
> 
> And Lucifer, the poor little orphan that nobody wants?
> 
> Gabriel's en route (I hope), and Castiel is heading into the lion's den. Daddy-Novak says the bad guys know about Dean.
> 
> And Dick? Well, Dick's probably going to be stuck in economy seating on a jetliner, between a screaming baby and a fangirl who wont shut up the entire (delayed) flight about her homo-erotic fanfiction and all the wonderful reviews she's been getting from people. And that's just perfect...


	27. Breaking News

Castiel's plane arrived in San Diego by mid-morning.

A sleek limousine and several security cars were waiting for him as he exited the small aircraft. Michael's tall form stepped out from the limo, his face drawn.

Castiel and his three secretaries approached the man as their luggage was removed and loaded into the vehicles.

"So? Where is this 'lead-singer-mechanic' I've heard so much about?" Michael's voice drawled as he eyed Castiel with a condescending glare.

Castiel breezed by without bothering to so much as glance at him. "Prepare the PR team to make a public statement of my new position by noon," he ordered. The chauffeur hurriedly opened the limo door for him as he stooped and entered the vehicle.

Michael's mouth moved uselessly as he blinked at the door to the limo and then over to Naomi.

Naomi purposely avoided his eyes, her mouth quirking into the hint of a smile as she and the other two women followed Castiel into the vehicle.

Michael was left standing dumbly beside the limousine, trying to regain his composure.

Castiel's sharp voice snapped from the inside of the car, "You're holding us up, Michael. Get in or I'll leave you here."

Michael's back straightened at the order, but he found himself moving quickly to obey.

…-^o^-…

Dean's head ached painfully as the sounds of thudding and muted voices pulled him from his deep sleep.

He rolled over, his head nestling deep into the soft pillows around him. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the comforting scent of Castiel.

He groaned loudly, stretching his tight muscles out across the wide bed. His arms groped out, searching for the familiar warmth of Castiel's body beside him.

They kept reaching, finding only cool sheets.

Dean pulled his pounding head up from the where it was buried, and he forced his heavy eyes to open. He squinted blearily in the brightness of the late morning light.

The bed was empty.

He breathed deeply, allowing his head to fall forward as it gave another painful ache.

Ughh. What the fuck…?

Dean lay quietly for several confused moments, listening to the dull noises coming from outside the bedroom door..

What the heck is he up to out there? He wondered. From the sound of it, he was rearranging the entire living room with the TV playing.

Dean tried to think what had happened the evening before, as his sleep muddled mind began to finally work.

How was he at Castiel's apartment? And why was he so fucking hung over?

His mind began to fill in the blanks. Suddenly Lisa's sad brown eyes flashed before him.

Holy SHIT-! Dean sat bolt upright as the memories crashed into him, wave after wave of the prior afternoon cresting through his throbbing mind.

Shit! Shit shit shit! Why…?! Why am I here! How the fuck did I get to Castiel's place?

He sat up, sore muscles protesting as he desperately tried to recall how he ended up in Castiel's bed.

He remembered the Road House. And everyone's worried faces. Sam was trying to talk to him. Then…

It was all a huge blur. He had taken a cab, made it to Cas's apartment, talking the man's ear off as he slurrily relayed his romantic woes the whole ride. The cabbie had been very sympathetic, even helping to carry Dean up to the door of Castiel's apartment. Fuck- did he even pay the fare? Then, he remembered Castiel's warm, smiling face, and hugging the man as he stumbled to get to the bedroom….

Then…?

Oh…shit. Dean suddenly remembered speaking. He had told Castiel about…fuck! About practically everything!

About Lisa. About the baby.

He had…he had came over to break up with him…. He had SAID that!

To Cas!

Dean sat frozen, the only movement being and occasional tremor of fear and gasps of shaky breath as he stared unseeing at the sheets in front of him, all the memories ganging up on him increasing the painful throbbing of his head.

He had told Cas he was breaking up with him.

He could remember it- Castiel's face in the dim light of the room. The torn look as the man stared down at him, eyes wide at the admission.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Dean thumped the mattress with his fist.

He pulled his head down into his hands, gripping his hair tightly. He tried to breath and think clearly.

He had told Lisa he would do it.

He had told her he would be the father.

Keep it a secret.

Lie to everyone.

The look on her face when he had said it…the way all the sadness and the worry and the tension had fallen away from her.

It was right.

Lisa was Dean's. She was always going to be Dean's. Her baby was always going to be Dean's.

They belonged together.

It was the right choice, he insisted to himself.

The flash of Castiel's blue eyes and bright smile appeared suddenly in Dean's mind. It was immediately followed by the memory of the man's face last night. The shock and hurt.

Dean swallowed thickly.

Shit….

There was more thumps and sounds from the living room. Dean slowly shifted to the edge of the bed, the small movement increasing the ache in his head.

What was he going to tell him?

'Sorry, but my ex is back and I'm just gonna pick back up where we left off.'

'You know, I hadn't really thought about it, but two guys can't make a baby, huh?'

'Sorry, Cas. But, I always kind of had a dream about marrying Lisa and having a crap-ton of kids, so…?'

Dean groaned into his hands, terrified about how he was going to explain this.

Should he explain to Cas that the baby wasn't actually his? Explain that he still wanted to raise it? Tell him how perfect Lisa is and how the two of them were going to make great parents?

He had to find some way to explain all of this.

Cas deserved…he deserved to know why Dean couldn't stay with him. No matter how much he wanted to.

Dean groaned loudly, fisting his hair in his hands again. That arrogant bastard, Dick had been right after all.

Dean wasn't thinking clearly about all of this, him and Cas.

Dean wasn't gay.

He loved Lisa.

He wanted a family.

All it took was her coming back. Her wanting him back. Her wanting him at her side, to help raise the child she carried… together.

To live the dream he had always pictured.

The image of Cas appeared again, smiling gently as fireworks lit up his face. Leaning forward, eyes locked on Dean's, to plant warm kisses on his lips.

Oh, fuck my life, Dean thought, his chest squeezing painfully.

He couldn't leave Cas!

It was Cas, for god's sake! He was…he was fucking perfect.

No- he needed to talk to Cas. He couldn't just give up on their relationship. There had to be a way! A way for everything to work out without losing Cas.

Dean jumped hurriedly out of the bed, rushing to the door.

It wasn't too late! They could talk this out. Come up with a plan together.

Dean could explain about Lisa.

They could all find a way to work this out, together. A way for everyone to be happy.

A way for Dean to keep Cas, and still be there for Lisa and the baby.

He threw the door open, taking a deep breath.

Yes, they could do this.

…-^o^-…

"Get the catnip, Karen. We're going to have to lure him down."

Dean stared in confusion at the scene in front of him.

There were several women in Cas's living room. Many were holding Lucifer's cat toys, wiggling them up at him where he was perched high up in his alcove. He looked perfectly comfortable, enjoying the entertainment unfolding below him.

Dean recognized a few of the faces. They were the women from the pet store. The cat ladies that Cas had worked with at the adoption events.

Cas was no where in sight.

"Uh," Dean rasped, "Where's Cas?"

All of the women turned to stare at him in surprise. After several seconds they turned to look at each other. One woman, who looked vaguely familiar, finally answered, "He's gone. Moving to San Diego, I think it was."

Dean's aching head tried to process the information while the women waited watching him nervously.

"…huh?" Dean finally managed, his throbbing head not helping.

The woman spoke again, slower this time, seeming to begin to realize the situation. "Castiel is moving out of this apartment. His secretary called us this morning. Wanted us to come pick up Lucifer."

Dean stared at her, his mind beginning to comprehend what she was telling him. "He…he's gone?"

They nodded, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"We need to get Lucifer out of here soon. The moving crews are supposed to show up at two p.m." The lead woman supplied carefully.

Dean finally looked around again. There was a large pile of Lucifer's cat toys, food and carrier gear stacked by the door. The huge cat tree was also staged nearby. It looked like it was all ready to be taken out.

"I think he, uh, left a note for you. Dean, wasn't it?" One of the women pointed at a note taped to the door.

Dean walked numbly over to it, and pulled it down. He opened it carefully, his heart thumping painfully in his tight chest.

Dean,

I hope my short stay hasn't caused too much disruption in your life. I am moving to San Diego immediately for work. I would appreciate if you and your friends could please exercise discretion regarding our brief relationship over the last few weeks.

Castiel

The paper was moving in Dean's hand, making it difficult to read, and he realized it was because he was trembling.

Discretion? Brief relationship?

Cas was gone.

He had left him. Just like that.

He noticed the room was silent, and turned to the women, who all looked away quickly. The woman who had been speaking to Dean clapped her hands together, and spoke.

"Okay, ladies. Let's not keep wasting time. Get the catnip out and get ready with the toys."

Dean stood where he was as the women began moving around him, waving a vial of something below the alcove and wiggling the toys.

"Wh-what are you going to do with Lucifer?" Dean stuttered, mind still reeling from the note.

"Oh, well, Castiel left a very generous donation to the Rescue, and to the family who adopts him. It's a pretty good incentive to find him a home. The family won't have to pay for food or litter for nearly a full year with the money he left them."

Dean blinked for several seconds before he felt the first stirrings of anger begin creeping in. "So he left him behind? He just left his cat here while he takes off to California? That's bullshit!"

The women stopped again, their eyes wide as they watched Dean warily. Their leader spoke up, shrugging as if she sees this kind of thing regularly, "It's not ideal, no. But, sometimes fosters don't work out. He is a… a pretty difficult cat. Can't blame Castiel, really."

"Can't-can't blame him, huh? That's a load of shit! He's ditching his cat." Dean snapped. "And Lucifer isn't difficult- he's fucking awesome! Look at that face! Look at it-!" Dean pointed an angry finger up to the small animal, and the women humored him, turning their gazes obligingly up to the small animal, who blinked it's wide green eyes and returned their stares. "Who the hell walks away from a face like that? Huh!?" The women slowly turned their worried eyes back to Dean, who was quickly moving into full-blown indignant rage at this point.

He completely missed the shared looks that the women exchanged.

The main cat lady spoke, raising her hands helplessly, "Hmm. Well, it's a shame you feel that way. The poor little guy is probably going to be stuck bouncing around home after home, even with the money incentive." She sighed dramatically, then stage-whispered to him. "And that's if the people who adopt him don't take the money and just drop him off at the first available corner they can find..."

Dean stared in wide-eyed shock at her words as the other women nodded knowingly, muttering 'yes, that's probably what will happen to the poor thing'. They shook their heads sadly.

"You-you can't let that happen!" Dean gasped, looking up to where Lucifer's furry little head was watching from the alcove. His green eyes locked on Dean's.

"I don't like it either, but there's not much we can do." The woman sighed helplessly, turning from Dean and giving a big wink to the other women. She continued in a sad, hopeless voice, "If only there was someone who could save the poor little guy. Someone who would love him and take care of him…"

Dean frowned at her words, holding Lucifer's gaze. The kitten meowed at him.

"Shit…" Dean muttered, running his hands through his short hair.

…-^o^-…

Dean had just stepped out of the apartment complex, with the cat ladies at his side, arms loaded, when he spotted an available cab conveniently parked on the street.

They made there way over and began loading the vehicle. Once everything was stowed inside, the women cheerfully waved good-bye to him and walked away. Dean placed Lucifer in the backseat and scooted in beside him.

"Got a second passenger this morning, I see." The slow voice drawled out. The familiarity of the voice caught Dean's attention.

"Oh…hey. You-you were my driver from last night, weren't you?" Dean asked, staring at the back of the man's head in surprise.

The cabbie gave a breathy chuckle, and replied in his strange, low voice, "You remembered, how kind. I got stuck on a double- boss is the Devil. You know how it is..."

"Yeah. Yeah, sorry to here that man. I-I'm glad though. I don't think I, uh, paid you last night." Dean fumbled, embarrassed at the memory of the cabbie's generosity.

"Oh, never mind that. You seemed to have a lot on your mind, if I recall. How did the break up go, if you don't mind me asking. I'm afraid I'm a hopeless romantic…."

Dean grimaced, and muttered, "…Good, I guess. He must have seen the opportunity for a clean escape, and took it…."

"Ah, well. Messy break ups can be Hell, trust me. I'm sure it's all for the best…."

Dean nodded numbly as the cab started moving, leaving Castiel's abandoned apartment behind.

…-^o^-…

"Dean! Holy fuck, man! I was worried sick! They said you didn't show up for work and I skipped class to look for-" Sam called as he ran out of their house to meet Dean at the cab that he had just pulled up in. "Uh…wh-? What is this?"

Dean sat the carrier down on the sidewalk without a word, and moved around to the trunk.

Sam stared down at the carrier, and almost jumped when a loud meow came from it.

"Is- is there a cat in there?!" He asked in shock. He pulled his eyes from the carrier to look at Dean and watched as his brother and the cabbie pulled bags of food and toys from the trunk and set them onto the pavement. "Dean...?"

Dean ignored his brother, his anger already overriding all other feelings, replacing the gaping sense of loss and guilt.

Once everything was unpacked from the cab, Dean finally spoke. "Sammy, you mind getting the fare for me. Uh, double it up, with a nice tip, too."

Dean turned to the driver and gave him a quick hand shake. "Listen, thanks for, uh, last night and everything, um…." He paused, realizing he had never even got the man's name.

"Alistair. And never you worry, Dean. I'm more than happy to help." His low, raspy voice answered as he shook Dean's hand and winked. Dean hesitated for a moment, not remembering whenhe had given the cabbie his name. Must have done, though. How else would he know it?

Once the cab pulled away, Dean picked up the carrier and several bags of food, grunting at Sam, "Give me hand, Sammy."

Sam stared at Dean's back as he made his way to the house, then at the disappearing cab, then down at the bags piled at his feet.

He shook his head in confusion, but bent down to pick the stuff up anyway.

Maybe it was a good idea to just go with the flow for the time being.

Gauge Dean's feelings before asking too many questions.

And he had a lot. Especially after the news from Jess that morning.

…-^o^-…

Once everything was inside the house, Dean took a seat on the floor of the living room and began setting up the large cage. According to the main cat lady, who Dean now knew was named Debbie, he had to 'cat-proof' the house and give Lucifer time to adjust to the new surroundings.

Dean tried to follow the instructions for setting up the cage that Lucifer would be staying in temporarily, but they were surprisingly difficult to understand. It didn't help that Sam was hovering over him nervously.

After a few seconds, Sam sat his large form on the floor indian style next to Dean and finally spoke, his voice quiet. "I, uh, spoke with Jess this morning." He paused, seeming to wait for Dean to say something.

Dean kept his face schooled. He already knew that there was no way to avoid this conversation. But, hell if he was going to act like he was upset.

"She, uh, she says that…Castiel left early this morning. For San Diego." Sam eyed his brother, looking for a reaction. When none came, he pushed further, "Dean, we need to talk about all of this. Lisa and Castiel and…th-the baby…."

Dean spoke suddenly, his voice edged with determination, "Nothing to talk about, Sammy. It's all exactly how it looks." Sam raised his eyebrows and Dean continued, "Lisa's back. She's carrying my baby. Cas…Castiel is gone. Bailed, more like." Dean mumbled bitterly, turning to Sam and meeting his eye with a hard stare that brooked no argument. "We are NOT going to talk about Castiel, or the last few weeks ever again. It never happened. You got that, Sammy?"

Sam stared at Dean, unsure how to respond. He finally said quietly, "…Dean, I-I'm sorry. About…all of this. I mean, I'm happy about the baby. I know you've always wanted to be a dad. I just…I just wish…" He searched for the best way to say what he was thinking, but finally gave up and just said what was on his mind, "You and Castiel were so good together, man."

Dean's head snapped up to meet his brother's eyes, and he hissed out, "I SAID not to mention him, Sam! Starting right NOW! If I hear you bring him up again, I swear I'll beat the shit out of you. And you better tell everyone else, too. If Lisa EVER hears about…about him, I will kick the ass of whoever told her. No more warnings, Sam."

Sam held his brother's angry glare, his sad eyes searching Dean's for some shred of the sadness that Sam knew he was feeling. After several seconds, he nodded his head reluctantly.

Dean turned back down to the complex metal cage in front of him, glancing over the instructions again in frustration.

Sam reached out, pulling the instructions from his brother's hands with a sigh, "Let me. You're useless with anything written over a fifth-grade level." Dean scowled, but let Sam have the paper.

Together they managed to get the large structure set up. It seemed a bit shaky and unstable, but it would have to work, at least until they managed to get the house cat-proofed.

As Dean carefully released Lucifer from his carrier into the cage, Sam asked in what he hoped was a cheerful, upbeat voice, "So, we have a cat, huh? I'm more of dog person, myself. So, I'm guessing this is, uh, 'Satan'?"

"Lucifer." Dean corrected, a small smile turning up his mouth as the kitten sniffed around the spacious cage then plopped down on it's side to stare at him.

Sam nodded beside him. "Okay... Lucifer. He, uh, seems like a nice cat." He bent forward. Lucifer's eyes shifted to Sam as he spoke, and stayed focused on him intently. Sam shifted uncomfortably, the kitten's green eyes following his every move.

"I think he likes you, Sammy." Dean muttered, a hint of humor in his voice as he patted Sam on the back.

"He's… he's kinda...okay- yeah, no- he's creepin' me the hell out, Dean." Sam whispered quietly, as Lucifer's eyes dilated to two huge black holes. His hind legs rose barely, and his tail lowered. "What…what is he doing?" Sam muttered nervously. The kitten began wiggling it's butt, eyes still trained intently on Sam.

The cat pounced suddenly, slamming it's small body into the metal side of the cage and swinging a long, pawed arm out reaching for Sam.

Sam shot back with a shriek. "What the fuck, man!?"

Dean burst into laughter at the sight of Lucifer's tiny clawed hand reaching out desperately through the bars for Sam. "Oh, yeah! He likes you a lot, Sammy. Congrats!"

Sam shot him a bitch face, before turning his gaze back to the little prisoner, who was making a whole-hearted effort to squeeze his tiny head through the thin bars.

Sam was going to say something snarky, but he suddenly decided against it at the sight of Dean laughing. If the kitten was able to cheer Dean up right now, then Sam wasn't going to complain.

He changed the subject instead, asking a question that had been on his mind. "So, is, uh, Lisa going to be moving in here now, too?"

Dean's smile dropped, and Sam instantly regretted the question. "Uh, yeah. I-I guess so." Dean frowned as he thought. "Maybe…maybe we can move her into Mom and Dad's old room. At least until we get it set up as the…the nursery."

Sam turned to look at Dean in surprise. "She's not going to sleep in your room?"

Dean cringed, and answered quickly, "I-I don't think so. I mean, it's been a while and…I just, I don't want to move too fast, ya know?" He glanced quickly at Sam, before turning away and busily unpacking Lucifer's bags.

Sam muttered, "Yeah. Okay, man."

The sound of Sam's phone ringing filled the awkward silence and he answered it gratefully.

"Hey, Jess. What's up?"

There were several seconds of silence as Sam listened. Suddenly, he turned toward Dean with a worried look..

"Right now? Yeah, I'll-I'll turn it on. Hold up-" Sam moved to grab the remote and turn the television on. He flipped through the channels to the news station. A pretty blond news anchor was speaking, and Dean stiffened in cold shock as a picture of Castiel was pulled up behind her.

Sam and Dean stared as the anchor spoke.

"Shocking news from the business world today. The global giant, ADA Inc., has just released a statement to the media that has rocked corporate America. According to spokesman Dick Roman, the youngest member of the Novak Dynasty, Castiel Novak, has assumed leadership of the company. The sudden shift in power was not addressed in the statement given to reporters, but inside sources are suggesting that the abrupt regime change comes after the disappearance of not only the ADA founder himself, Theodore Novak, but also that of his oldest son, Gabriel Novak. Sources inside the company claim that the disappearances may have something to do with possible financial instability."

Dean could only stare at the screen in shock. He realized that Sam was watching him worriedly, his voice speaking lowly to Jess. "Yeah. I-I can't believe it, either. You guys at the office didn't know anything about it?"

Dean's eyes fell on the picture of Castiel, apparently taken at some sort of press conference. He was seated at a table, his face set in a firm frown.

Suddenly, the image shifted to a still frame. Dean immediately scowled as he recognized the well-groomed image of Dick Roman. Dean could just make out the purple tinge of a bruise on his jaw.

Was he...was he wearing make-up to cover it? Dean wondered with a small flash of angry pride.

The reporter was speaking again,

"Let's go now, live to the press conference in San Diego, where the new leader of the ADA is being introduced."

The image of Dick Roman filled the screen in real-time video. His white teeth flashed as he spoke smoothly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you, Mr. Castiel Novak is more than qualified for the position as Head of the ADA. The reasons for his move to the position will not be addressed at this time. However, we would like to assure the public, as well as our intermediate offices around the globe, that the decision was directed by the founder, Theodore Novak, himself. We have great confidence in his decision to position his son into the role of head of the company."

The audience of reporters erupted into shouted questions.

The camera panned suddenly to the right, falling on Castiel.

Dean's heart stopped and his legs almost gave out on him. He half-stumbled to the couch and dropped heavily into it.

Castiel was sitting between two other men who were smiling into the crowd of reporters. Castiel, however, had a blank, almost lost look on his face. He was wearing another fancy-looking suit, and his normally wild hair was combed down neatly. His blue eyes stood out in the flashing lights of dozens of cameras going off.

Cas...

Dick Roman continued speaking.

"Mr. Castiel Novak is very excited to be assuming command of the company. He will be addressing questions in person this Friday, in an interview with Cathy Campbell on her morning talk show."

The camera stayed on Castiel's stoic form, and Dean watched as a handsome man with long blond-hair on Castiel's left frowned at him, then gave him a subtle jab with his elbow. Castiel was startled out of his thoughts, seeming to realize that all eyes were on him. His face split instantly into a attractive, if strained, smile. The camera flashes seemed to triple in number.

Dean felt anger shoot through him.

Cas was being paraded in front of the press like a damn peacock.

He looked so...alone.

Dean's heart stuttered at the thought, and he tried hard to ignore it as Dick continued speaking.

"Unfortunately, we will not be taking questions at this time. We invite you all to tune in on Friday for more information from the man himself. Thank you all for your time."

Dick concluded his speech, and the screen flashed back to the image of the female anchor.

"Well, certainly a sudden and surprising change for the ADA and the business world. Stay with Channel Ten as we cover this exciting story as it develops throughout the day."

Dean continued to stare at the TV as it changed to a cereal commercial of cartoon children chasing a leprechaun.

Sam was still on the phone with Jess, and Dean listened numbly as he spoke. "I-I can't believe this. So his dad and Gabriel are just… gone? How is that even possible? We just saw Gabe last week!"

Jess apparently was saying something on the other end. "Yeah…Yeah. I'll-I'll call you again later, okay. Yeah, love you, too."

He ended the call, and Dean didn't have to look to know his brother was watching him.

"Don't-," He winced as his voice cracked, "Don't say anything, Sam. I'm serious." Dean's voice was weak. His eyes were still locked unseeing on the screen.

He felt sick.

Dick had told him. He had said that Castiel was in charge now. Dean just hadn't realized how big of a deal it actually was.

A press conference?

An interview on a morning show?

It was surreal. Everything had moved so quickly.

It was just last night when…when Castiel was in Lawrence…in his arms….

Dean shook himself, taking a deep breath.

He turned to his brother. "No one talks about this. You understand me? No one. Tell the others." He stood, walking on shaking legs to the door. "Now, give me a ride to pick up my car. I need to help Lisa pack her stuff and bring it all over."

…-^o^-…

"Alright everyone. It was a good press release. It looks like we were able to get ahead of the scandal, for now. But, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done. We need to prep Mr. Novak for his interview Friday. Let's get his notes made up now. I want the PR team to have his suit picked out immediately. And get me the public opinion statistics from today's press release. Let's see where we stand as of today, then make a plan from there. And as a reminder: all Executives and top officials will be staying in the sixth floor condos for the time being. No exceptions. Curfew is ten p.m. The media is going to be vicious when they catch wind of the missing money. We need to keep everyone close."

Michael's authoritative voice filled the top floor office of the main ADA building. Dozens of people were scrambling into action, racing hurriedly to computers, grabbing up paperwork, running in and out of the offices.

To Michael's left, a large group of Executives, including the San Diego CEO, Zachariah and his cohorts, were seated around a large conference table, sipping their coffees leisurely, and reading newpapers.

Ruby and Charlie were typing quickly, while a large crowd surrounded their desks, handing them various documents and speaking to them in hushed tones. The women had their eyes locked in complete focus on the computer screens as they nodded, or occasionally shook their heads.

Dick Roman was standing with several of his team members, pointing in clear annoyance to a light blue tie being held up to him, and angrily ordering the other five to be taken away.

Naomi was weaving busily around to the various tables and stations where groups were sitting hard at work. Alfie trailed behind her, scribbling notes and smiling cheerfully.

It all looked like barely-controlled mayhem to Castiel, who watched through the door frame of his father's spacious office (which no longer had a door attached to it- he noted).

He let his gaze drift over to the large windows behind him.

That was how Gabriel did it. A few knotted sheets, and a window left open on the floor right below.

A 'Grand Exit' in true Gabriel fashion.

Castiel sat still, listening to the loud thrumming of voices and constant movement outside his quiet office.

Too late to try the same stunt, he thought somberly.

He had already accepted the position. Everything was happening now. There was no escaping for him.

And it wasn't like he had anywhere to escape to.

Or anyone….

He stood abruptly, walking across the room to the door frame. He took a second to breath deeply, squaring his shoulders, and lifting his head.

This is easy. Just like a Think Tank.

I can do this.

When he stepped out into the office, the voices suddenly died down as everyone stared at him.

"Where are we at with the interview questions? And has anyone made up the list of topics to avoid yet?" He deep voice resonated loudly through the high-ceilinged space. Michael had turned and blinked at him in surprise, a small frown gracing his handsome face. The table of Executives was frozen, some mid-way through taking a drink, as they stared at his sudden appearance.

Without warning the room erupted back into loud, busy noises as everyone snapped back into action. Several people hurried nervously over to Castiel, holding out paperwork and speaking quickly.

Castiel took the proffered paperwork, and stepped forward as he read over it.

This was where he belonged.

Where his father wanted him to be.

He had to leave behind everything else and focus on what was important- saving the company.

…-^o^-…

Ted was on the phone again. His calls seemed to be getting more frequent.

Tessa tried not to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help but catch part of the conversation as she placed the older man's coffee down.

"Yes, he doesn't seem like it, but when he tries, he can be very authoritative….yes, he just needs a bit of encouragement." Ted smiled as he spoke. "Have they made their move yet?...Hmm…no, they won't waste too much time. I expect they will approach him before Friday…no, don't interfere, you'll just put yourself at risk…."

Tessa was forced to move away as to appear to not be listening.

It sounded as if something serious was going on. She remembered the strange man who Ted had spoken with on the bench. Did all of this have something to do with him?

She moved over to Sheriff Henriksen several booths away, who was watching the television as he ate.

"Anything good on?" Tessa asked, not bothering to glance up at it.

"Just some kind of corporate shake up. Maybe a missing person case or two. Not my problem, thank god." He sighed and turned away from the screen which was flashing Gabriel's face while a caption under it read: Missing Novaks. Where are the father and oldest son of the Novak Family?

"Huh. Slow news day, I guess." She muttered, picking up the remote lazily and turning the TV off.

…-^o^-…

Sam shifted in his bed, rolling tiredly to pull Jess tighter into his arms.

It had been a long day...

Dean had brought home the crazy cat. Then Lisa.

It had been awkward, seeing her again. And she seemed to feel the same, greeting Sam shyly and making a quiet apology for the mess she had made when she left. And the mess she knew she was making now. And she still didn't even know about Castiel...

Sam had wanted to be angry with her. He had wanted to ignore her or make her feel unwelcome.

But he couldn't manage it.

Lisa hadn't just been Dean's girlfriend. She had also been a good friend of Sam's for years, too. Seeing her so sad and pregnant and sorry…it was painful.

He had ended up pulling her into a warm hug, causing her to erupt into tears and cling to him.

Now she was set up in their parents old room, right by Sam's.

Sam sighed to himself tiredly, nestling his face into Jess's hair.

It took his sleepy brain several seconds to start putting his thoughts together.

The first thought was that Jess had changed shampoo, which made Sam frown into her hair.

The second thought was that she had cut her hair short, which caused Sam to slowly begin forcing his eyes open in surprise.

The final thought was that Jess had definitely decided not to come over to the house that night in order to give Lisa some time to adjust…

Sam flung himself out of the bed violently, landing hard on the floor.

His movement roused the form lying in the bed. Sam hopped over to the lamp on his nightstand, flicking it on quickly, then holding it up as a weapon, prepared to strike the intruder with it.

The brightness lit up the room, causing Gabriel to cringe and mutter angrily as he shielded his tired eyes.

"GA-GABRIEL?! What the HELL!?" Sam stuttered in shock.

Gabriel squinted at the brightness, throwing his hands up and gesturing wildly for Sam to lower his voice.

"Wha-! What the hell are you doing in my bed!?" Sam demanded almost hysterically.

"Shhh! Geez, Sammy! Are you trying to wake the whole damn house?" Gabriel hissed. He yawned widely, blinking as he began to wake up completely.

Sam shut his mouth quickly and listened for noises from the rest of the house. Dean's room was at the other end of the hall, but Lisa's was right next door. After a few tense seconds of absolute silence, Sam breathed out quietly.

"I don't-" Sam tried to form words as he stared at the man he had just been cuddling. "What are you doing here, Gabriel?" He finally managed to ask, whispering the words angrily.

"Well, I was trying to sleep." Gabriel groaned, shooting Sam a dirty look. Sam noticed the window on his far wall was cracked slightly open.

"I-in my bed? What the fuck, man?"

"Well, I had a long trip. I had to sleep somewhere. Any place is better than trying to sleep while riding shotgun with handsy trucker. Geez, don't be so stingy, Sam. I thought we were friends."

Sam just stared at him incredulously. The sleep was beginning to un-cloud from his mind, and he realized that the 'missing' Gabriel Novak was sitting right in front of him, on his bed, at the very least, shirtless…. Sam sent a quick, but fervent prayer, that Gabriel's bottom half was not as bare as his top half under the sheets.

"Holy shit, Gabe!" Sam rasped out, wide-eyed. "Do you...do you have any idea how many people are looking for you? They said on the news that you disappeared! Where the hell have you been?"

"Ah, yeah, well. About that…I had to duck out and pay my Pops a visit." He shrugged.

Sam's jaw dropped. "You KNOW where your dad is?! Gabriel- the company, the ADA, they put Castiel in charge! He's in San Diego right now!"

Gabriel nodded, a frown on his face. "Yeah, I know. But, that's not the real problem, Sam." Sam just stared dumbly from where he stood by the door, waiting for Gabriel to explain. "You see, there are some bad elements inside the company, and they are going to cause problems for my baby bro." He looked straight into Sam's eyes and stated, "And your big bro, too."

Sam gaped in confusion. "Dean? What does Dean have to do with it? He…he and Castiel, uh, well, they split up, Gabe."

He looked over to Gabriel to see how he handled the news. The small man just nodded grimly. "Yeah. Unfortunately, your brother has already popped up on the bad guys' radar. He's not safe, Sam."

"What...? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that there are people trying to take down the ADA, and they will use ANY means necessary to get what they want. I already found that out the hard way during my visit to San Diego. They won't shy away from using your brother to manipulate mine."

Gabriel threw off the sheets and moved off the bed. Sam groaned loudly, wincing when he realized Gabriel was only wearing a pair of Pokémon boxer briefs. "Dude- come on! That's just wrong!"

Gabriel grinned cheekily, "Oh, relax, Samantha. I only go for violent blondes. A few years ago though…" He let the sentence trail off, winking suggestively at the tall man.

Sam shuddered, shaking his head helplessly. "Back on topic, man. You're saying there are people in the ADA who might come after Dean? Just to try and get to Castiel? That sounds crazy. Like, Die Hard/Mission Impossible crazy. Are you sure?"

Gabriel nodded, his face returning to serious. "Yeah, I'm sure. And we need to find a way to stop them before they have a chance to get to our brothers. But, we have to keep a low profile, you know. If they find out we're onto them, they may do something drastic."

Sam hesitated. He wasn't sure if all of this could be true.

Corporate espionage? Threats? It all sounded crazy.

"I don't know, Gabe…."

"Trust me, Sam. I need your help with this. I'm going in, under cover, to see what I can find out. I need you here on the outside keeping an eye on Dean-o."

"You…you're actually going to try to sneak INTO the ADA? Gabriel, you are like, the second most wanted person in the whole company. Someone'll spot you the minute you show up in San Diego!"

"Don't you worry about that, Sam. I have my ways. Just promise me you'll keep watch on this end and let me know if anything happens."

Sam shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I-I guess, yeah…? I mean. I'm justing making sure nothing weird happens around Dean, right? I guess I can manage that…."

Gabriel's face broke into a wide smile as he nodded cheerfully. "Out-standing, Sammy! We'll have to come up with code names and all that jazz later! Now," he suddenly flopped back onto the bed, laying on his side and patting the empty space next to him seductively, "Let's get back to where we left off, handsome."

He ducked fast as Sam hurled an alarm clock at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hmm...Dean seems pretty set on moving on with his 'dream life' without Castiel, huh? And Castiel appears to be stepping up nicely into his father's place leading the ADA.
> 
> I'm betting several of you have your torches and pitchforks at the ready, planning on personally running Lisa off, or hunting down Dick?
> 
> And what about that cabbie? And Gabriel's vague warning to Sam? Anyone else getting nervous for our boys...? ; D


	28. Zero Missed Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE you folks' reactions to the story so far! I'm cracking up so hard. It sounds like this story is single-handedly ruining your lives! Lol!
> 
> Stay strong. We'll get through this!

Castiel trudged tiredly from his empty offices on the top floor of the ADA building and into the elevator to take him down to the sixth, where the suites were set up for everyone. As the doors closed, his mind continued to swirl with unwanted thoughts.

He should have been thinking about resting. Or maybe thinking about the next day's workload as they prepared for the impending media leak. He DEFINITELY should have been worrying about the Live Interview on Friday.

But he wasn't.

He was thinking about Dean. Couldn't STOP thinking about Dean.

Dean- who had not called or texted all day.

There were no pleas for Castiel to come back to Lawrence. No apologies or excuses. Not even a 'fuck you'. Nothing.

He should've known. He should've expected it.

But some small, desperately weak, part of him had 'hoped'.

It was a dangerous mistake.

Castiel's breath hitched as he bit back a small sob as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

No- he shouldn't have expected anything. His note had been clear. A firm, but courteous ending to the short fireworks show that was their relationship. It had been flashy and intense and...

Perfect.

And now it was over. It had been so painfully brief and now only smoke remained, leaving Castiel choking in the wake of it all.

His first day here had been a learning experience.

His constant attempts to wrest the reigns of the company from Michael's tight grip had not been met well at first. People were hesitant. Reluctant to put their faith in Castiel. They kept trying to subtly cast questioning glances to Michael at every order. It was frustrating.

But Castiel couldn't blame them. Michael was reliable. A solid figure of leadership and experience.

Castiel was…well, he wasn't very sure what they thought of him initially. After having to deal with Gabriel, Castiel was amazed that they were willing to acknowledge anything he said at all...

The elevator dinged again, opening up to the sixth floor. Castiel stepped out, rubbing his eyes as he staggered toward his room at the far end of the hall.

It had taken most of the afternoon and into the evening to establish himself as trustworthy and reliable, a feat made more incredible by the fact that he wasn't even sure that he really WAS a competent leader.

But when he stepped into the role, he found himself wearing it with startling ease. It was just like a Think Tank, only with higher stakes.

It was almost… 'enjoyable'. It had sense of power, of command, the need for fast, well thought-out decisions. He found himself eagerly craving more. And that scared him.

The sound of a door opening and movement pulled his attention away from his thoughts and he groaned audibly.

"Piss off, Dick." He grumbled, passing by the man where he stood in the open doorway of one of the rooms. Dick stepped out to follow him, talking fast.

"I-I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job today. Everyone's very impressed." He stayed, standing uncomfortably close to Castiel as the man tried to fish out his entry card. He continued, "And I don't want there to be all this bad blood between us. You…you know why I had to do what I did. He was lying- keeping secr-"

Dick jumped back fast as Castiel spun around and grabbed a handful of the taller man's suit. "I. Said. Piss. Off."

Dick was gaping in shock at the look of fury and barely controlled rage in Castiel's eyes as he hissed the words.

At that moment, the door neighboring Castiel's opened and Balthazar's grinning face poked out. "Good Heavens, am I missing a party?" The tall blonde stepped out of his room, approaching the two men cheerfully, eyes taking in the scene.

Castiel released Dick reluctantly, turning back to his door and digging for his key card. He was fueled partially by anger, and partially by the desperate need to get clear of the two men before they could start in on each other.

Dick and Balthazar were oil and water.

Despite common misperceptions, not all openly gay men got along well. There was not always a sense of solidarity or brotherhood.

These two-VERY different- men were living proof of that fact.

Shit-where the fuck was that key card?! He quickened the pace, trying desperately to get safely inside as soon as he could.

Too late.

"Th-they put YOU in the room right next to Castiel?!" Dick practically shrieked in fury. "I won't allow it!"

Balthazar met the man's anger in his usual calm, mocking way, which never failed to rile the dark haired man up even further. "No need to raise an army to defend Cassie's honor, Dickie. I have- as they say- been there, and done that."

Dick's face was already well on its way to a furious shade of red. He made a clear effort to fight for control, gritting out, "Well, everybody makes 'mistakes'."

"Oh, yes. We made that mistake, ah, how many times, Cassie? In the forties-range, if I remember correctly." He tilted his head merrily at Dick's stuttered indignation.

Castiel found his key and nearly dropped it in his haste to escape the impending rant that was undoubtedly going to follow 'that' little admission from Balthazar.

Of course, Dick knew they had been together on and off in college. It was just that Dick never seemed to handle anything that came from Balthazar's mouth with his usual grace and calm demeanor.

The door clicked, and Castiel dodged inside quickly.

He frowned as Balthazar ducked surprisingly fast inside behind him. The blonde turned quickly to throw the wide-eyed Dick a smile and cheerful wave good-bye, before shutting the door firmly in his face.

Castiel sighed tiredly and glanced back as Balthazar watched Dick's reaction to the snub through the peephole, grinning widely.

"You really need to stop teasing him, Balthazar." Castiel removed his blazer and loosened his tie as he made his way across the room to the bed, where he collapsed.

"I'll stop doing it when he stops making it so terribly fun." Balthazar replied happily, moving away from the door after, Castiel assumed, Dick finally stomped back to his own room. "I had wanted to speak to you about him actually." His face turned into a frown, surprising Castiel. "There are…rumors, you know. About after you left. People saying very... 'strange' things about him."

Castiel didn't want to discuss Dick, but if it kept the topic away from Dean, he would gladly take the distraction. "Like what?" He mumbled.

"Like, he has been asking gay men all over the building to sleep with him." Balthazar answered, a note of concern edging into his voice.

"Wha-?" Castiel's head lifted for a moment in surprise, "That…that doesn't sound like Dick. He's hardly the promiscuous type." Castiel answered, his voice slightly worried by the sudden knowledge.

"Yes, well, that's the weird thing about it all, Cassie. Apparently, he is quite literally 'sleeping' with them. As in, 'no sex'." He turned his to glance at Castiel, watching his reaction.

"Oh! It's 'that'? He's actually been that desperate?" Castiel would have laughed any other time, but his mood just wouldn't allow the merriment. Balthazar cast him a patient glance, eyebrows raised, clearly awaiting an explanation. Castiel huffed a sigh, and waved his hand dismissively, "Dick…uh, well, Dick has issues with sleeping alone. He's a...cuddler." Castiel admitted, using air quotations. He almost felt guilty for dropping the knowledge into Balthazar's already large arsenal, but he reminded himself quickly of the Dick's interference in Lawrence.

Screw him. He deserved whatever Balthazar decided to do with the knowledge. And from the look of the gleam in the blonde's eye, it was going to be something traumatic.

"Sorry-wait. He-he can't stand 'sleeping alone'? The mighty Dick Roman? Dear god- that is…just-! Is it my birthday? Oh, it must be!" He flopped right beside Castiel on the bed, snuggling intimately close, practically humming with giddy excitement. "Oh, Cassie! There's so much fun to be had!"

Castiel felt the beginnings of a small smile curving his lips. It took a lot to make Balthazar genuinely happy about something. He usually handled things with an unaffected air of cynicism.

His smile died fast at Balthazar's next words, however. "So, are you planning on explaining why the hell you weren't accompanied here by your sexy mechanic? I can't get a straight answer out of anyone."

Castiel felt his body physically cringe from the question. The familiar pain and dread that accompanied Castiel's last memories of Dean returned in full force. "It didn't work out." He practically whispered, trying not to choke on the words. He stood fast, hoping to escape an interrogation.

Balthazar's hands shot up, pulling Castiel back down into his arms and wrapping around him tightly. His voice was personal; quiet and gentle as he spoke, "Oh, no you don't, Cassie. Tell me all about it. Tell me about Dean." He reached up to run his warm hands gently through Castiel's dark hair.

Castiel felt the tight, burning knot of a sob work its way up his throat. Stinging in his eyes warned him of impending tears. "Dammit, Balthazar…." He moaned hoarsely, before his entire body seized into uncontrollable, shaking sobs.

Balthazar held him close, patiently stroking his back and head as Castiel released a the floodgates that he had been holding back for the past day.

It seemed like he stayed that way, with his head buried deep in Balthazar's chest, for hours. When he finally calmed down enough to pull himself together and speak, it was barely a whisper. "He…he had a girlfriend. He was going to marry her, Balthazar. He proposed and everything. Then she left, and showed back up- pregnant. He was…he was so happy. Said he was going to be a 'daddy'. He said- god!- he said he wasn't even gay, Balthazar. That we had to break up. He…he didn't want me anymore…."

Fresh tears threatened to slide a burning trail down his soaked face as he spoke. He could feel Balthazar stiffen beneath him- hear his breath catch at the words. Castiel leaned against him, letting the silence fill until forever, it seemed.

Finally, Balthazar spoke, his chest rumbling lowly. "But you still want him?"

The question was exactly what Castiel had been dreading. Saying it out loud. Putting his raw, bleeding heart out on display to be judged for its weakness.

The only sounds in the quiet suite were the two thumping hearts, so close together.

One steady and waiting, the other pounding a rapid cacophony, dreading the word that finally squeezed its insidious way out of Castiel's barely open lips.

"…Yes."

And there was no taking it back. No chance to pull it back in and keep it secreted away deep in his heart, where it couldn't hurt him.

Balthazar squeezed Castiel's trembling body tighter, the only indication that the quiet syllable was heard.

…-^o^-…

When Sam awoke and unfolded from his cramped position on the floor of his room Thursday morning, Gabriel was blessedly gone. The window on the side wall was cracked open, the curtains askew.

Sam huffed a sigh, shaking his head at the tangled sheets of his bed, the only other indicator that Gabriel had been there last night.

He stretched his sore muscles and stepped out of his room and into the kitchen. To his surprise, Lisa was already up, busy making coffee. She turned and gave him a tentative smile. Sam returned it carefully.

It was strange how familiar and yet unfamiliar all of this seemed. Lisa being here, like she had never left. Picking back up like she belonged there. Fitting back into the place that Sam hadn't even realized had been hers.

As Sam was remembering the past, Lisa cleared her throat and put on a happy smile as she seemed to check behind him, "So, do I get to meet Jess now? I made enough coffee for her, too."

Sam looked at her in confusion. "Jess? She isn't here."

"Oh! I-I thought I…heard someone in your room last night. I'm sorry, I wake up at odd times nowadays." She looked flustered by the mistake.

Sam's face flushed. "Oh, no. No, that was…no. I was talking to a friend…er, on speaker phone. Sorry if it bothered you." Sam fumbled over the lie.

Lisa seemed perplexed at the excuse, but she gave him a hesitant smile instead of asking him about his late night phone call. Sam was grateful for the break. He needed to keep Gabriel's visit a secret, especially if what he said was true.

But, was it? Was Dean really in danger? And Castiel? What sort of danger?

"Um…I'm glad you're up first. I was…well," She laughed nervously, as if she wasn't sure how to ask, "I was just wondering if, um, Dean was- was with someone? Recently?" She finally met Sam's eyes, and he realized how concerned she actually was. She held his gaze, searching his eyes. Sam tried to keep them as blank as possible while he racked his mind for the right words.

Fortunately, Dean stumbled tiredly into the kitchen at that exact moment.

He stretched, yawning widely. "Oh man, I am fucking sore. Had to sleep on the damn sofa all night cuz Lu wouldn't shut the hell up…."

Sam and Lisa just stared at him, horrified.

"Wh-what?" He asked, worried by their stunned silence.

Sam moved lightning-fast, darting out the door to his truck without a word. The sound of tires peeling out was loud in the quiet early morning air. Dean turned back to Lisa, who was nearly doubled over with laughter. "What!?" He demanded again.

"Y-your, haha, face!" She managed.

Dean frowned in confusion. Did he have weird sleep lines from the couch?

He stormed down the hall to the bathroom and flipped on the light switch.

"What the-?! SAM-! Oh, I'm gonna KILL that fucker!" Lisa heard from the direction of the bathroom, causing her to erupt into more uncontrolled laughter.

Dean returned, furious. "Why the fuck would he do this!?" Dean gestured angrily at his face.

Dean's forehead, cheeks and chin were covered in graffiti markings, which comprised of a unibrow, villain mustache, pimples and a very detailed, hairy penis- apparently in the process of ejaculating.

Lisa's only response was a loud, helpless snort as she clutched the counter for balance.

…-^o^-…

Sam pulled over further down the road, in the direction of his university, too pissed to wait any longer. He snatched his phone out of his pocket, searching for Gabriel's name on his contact list.

It wasn't there.

However, a new contact had appeared: -Loki ; D-

Sam hit the contact and sent a text.

S: Real mature, jack-ass.

After a few seconds, his phone buzzed with a response.

L: *_* no idea what you mean. remember the plan moose.

Immediately after the text from Gabriel, Sam's phone went off again, this time is fast procession.

D: you better be halfway to canada mofo!

D: thought we were cool you bitch!

D: i'm gonna beat you shitless!

D: srsly- hide fucker!

Sam rubbed his eyes tiredly. How the fuck was he supposed to watch out for Dean if the dude was gonna kick his ass if he comes within thirty feet?

Fucking Gabriel...

…-^o^-…

Castiel arrived at his office Thursday morning, tired but feeling slightly better. The relief of pouring out his feelings to Balthazar was like a weight being lifted off of him.

His throat was sore and swollen from crying. He knew Balthazar would keep the secret of his admission and emotional outburst. They had been friends for years, through tough times and good ones. He was almost like family at this point, past sexual encounters not counted, of course.

Castiel had drifted into exhausted sleep sometime after his confession. He vaguely remembered being tucked under the warm blankets as he graciously let unconsciousness sweep over him. Balthazar was gone when he awoke.

Ruby and Charlie gave him waves as he entered into the main office area and passed through the door frame into his personal office space.

He sat heavily in his father's large, cushioned chair. There was a lot of work that needed to be done and piles of paperwork for him to go over.

Taking a deep breath, he began the daunting task of going through it all.

At the top of the stack was a manila envelope with no marking on it. He frowned, opening it carefully and pulling out the contents.

His heart stopped.

They were enlarged picture,s apparently taken from considerable distance, using a zoom.

Pictures of Dean.

Dean bent over as he worked under the hood of a car.

Dean stopped at a traffic light, apparently mid-way through enthusiastic singing.

Dean smiling as he stood in the salvage yard, grinning into his cell phone.

Dean…

Oh, fuck….

The remaining photos, three of them, included Castiel.

Dean and Castiel talking at the Roadhouse the first time Castiel went to his concert..

Dean and Castiel- fuck!- seated on Castiel's couch when they had their movie Sunday. It appeared to have been taken through the living room window of Castiel's apartment from someplace high nearby.

Dean and Castiel exchanging heated looks as they leaned in toward each other at the diner on the square.

The time stamps on the bottom corner of the photos proved the dates. They were all taken in the first few weeks of their short relationship.

Castiel felt the faint, lightheadedness of shock. His body was shaking violently.

Who-?! Who could have done this?! Who could have been following Castiel for so long? Watching him so closely, even before he was a prospective head of the company?

"Oh, is that your friend, Dean, sir?"

Castiel jumped violently in his seat, startled by Alfie's happy voice coming from right over his shoulder. He flipped the photos over quickly, gasping breaths not seeming to fill his lungs as much as he needed.

The room spun.

He felt Alfie grasp his arm, calling out in a worried voice for the secretaries.

Castiel tried to regain his calm as the women rushed in.

"What's happened, Alfie? What's wrong?" Naomi's voice asked urgently.

"I'm not sure ma'am. There were photos. And I-I just asked if the man in them was Dean." He answered nervously.

Castiel saw Naomi reach for the pictures sitting in front of him, and tried to catch her hand, but he was too dizzy and missed.

She held up the photos, the other two secretaries looking over her shoulder. Their eyes widened as they went through them.

"Is something wrong?" A voice asked from the doorway. Naomi lowered the photos quickly, all three women spinning around smoothly to smile brightly at Zachariah. Castiel watched as Naomi deftly tucked the photos and the folder they came in under a pile of paperwork behind her back.

"No, sir. Everything is fine. Can we help you with something?"

Zachariah stepped into the office, his greasy smile wide as his eyes slid over the group, then Castiel. "I just wanted to drop in and give my personal congratulations to our new head of the ADA. Ah, are you feeling unwell Castiel? You look pale..."

Castiel dug deep in his trembling body, forcing it to appear calm and unaffected. "I'm fine, Zachariah. Still adjusting to the move and time change, I think. Thank you for stopping by."

"Glad to hear it! We're all looking forward to working with you, you know. In fact, me and a few of the guys wanted to go over a few 'proposals' with you. Big stuff. May be just what the company needs under these…dire circumstances. After your interview tomorrow, of course. Maybe Saturday? Make it a lunch meeting?" He added, smiling.

"Sounds good, Zachariah. Naomi will add it to my schedule." Castiel stated with what he hoped was a normal voice. His ears were ringing so badly that he could barely hear his own words.

"Great! 'Till then." He waved as he left.

Alfie and all three women turned back to Castiel, faces returning to masks of pale fear.

Naomi spoke first, her voice edged with seriousness. "Sir. Where did these photos come from? Is that 'Dean'?" She pulled the images back out, laying them on his desk.

Castiel could only nod weakly. He cleared his tight throat and mumbled, "They were…on top of my stack."

Naomi turned to Alfie. "You delivered the paperwork this morning. Where did this envelope come from?"

Alfie frowned. "Sorry, ma'am. I don't remember seeing that envelope when I dropped everything off earlier."

Naomi seemed to think for several seconds, before addressing everyone. "No one speak about this to the rest of the staff. I'll see if security picked up on anything. They have the cameras for this floor disabled for the time being. I'll see what I can find anyway. In the mean time, it is important that we act as if nothing has changed." She turned to Castiel, sadness in her eyes. "Sir, you may need to be prepared for threats or even blackmail. Whoever did this appears to know about your sexual preference and Dean. They could try to use it against you."

"Are we…are we going tell Michael? Or Dick?" Castiel asked quietly, still stunned as he stared at the photos laid out in front of him. "They should know that the spies have this information. They need to plan for it…"

Naomi thought about that, but slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. But I think it is best that we don't trust anyone except the people in this room, for now."

"You don't really think Dick or Michael…?" Castiel asked in surprise.

"I think we should proceed with caution, sir. The enemies could be anyone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up: Dean has issues, uh, handling himself...? :D
> 
> Ruby has a plan.
> 
> Balthazar drags Cas out past curfew!


	29. From the Depths of the Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Let's be real here: If you made it this far, you shouldn't need to be warned about mature content, right? --(^o*)
> 
> But... just in case someone wandered in here, lost and confused: This chapter contains graphic material and loads of kinkiness. Read at your own risk.
> 
> Enjoy!

Charlie kept casting worried glances through the doorframe of Castiel's office, watching him closely.

He looked pale and very worried.

Of course, who wouldn't after finding such a nasty little surprise? Who could've sent him those pictures? And how did they get them?

It must be horrifying to discover that someone was watching you during some of your most intimate and personal moments.

"Stop doing that." Ruby's quiet order came from the desk right beside Charlie. She turned to the other woman, who had not bothered to look up from her paperwork. "You're going to give him away. Stop staring at him before someone gets suspicious."

Charlie bit her lip, glancing down for a moment, before suddenly rolling her chair over right next to the blonde. She whispered lowly, "But-! What are we going to do? This is really bad. That was obviously a threat!"

Ruby sighed and finally looked up, annoyance clearly written across her pretty features. "The only thing we can do now is wait. They made the first move so they have the upper-hand."

"But, we have to do 'something'. Castiel is in danger."

Ruby stared at Charlie for several seconds, seeming to have some sort of inner debate. At last, she spoke. "I'm working on it, okay?" Charlie blinked and waited for her to continue. The blonde rolled her eyes and sighed again. "Alright, listen carefully. I've been working my way into the Executives' secretaries' circle, alright? I've been feeding them little tidbits and details about Castiel to get into their good graces. I figure, if they think they can pull me over to their side as a spy, then I can act as a double-agent and spy on them in return."

Charlie's mouth fell open. "That…that is the single most awesome idea I have ever heard in my entire life! I mean, except obviously anything that that the Doctor comes up with, but he's from a special species, so it doesn't count. Oh, and obviously when Sherlock planned out the Reichenbach Fall, but he's also kind of-" She trailed off at the expression on Ruby's face. "But, anyway- love the plan! How can I help?"

"All you have to do is act natural. Whenever the secretaries are around, I'll slip into character. You just need to pretend that you and I don't like each other."

"Oh, well that shouldn't be too hard." Charlie cringed as the words left her mouth. To her surprise, Ruby flinched as well. She almost seemed…sad for a moment, before hastily pulling her features back to their usual cold expression.

Charlie decided that it was time to ask the question that had been bothering her. "Ruby, I wanted to ask- why did you let me come with you guys? You know, back at the Lawrence airport?"

Ruby frowned at her before turning back to her paperwork.

Charlie decided she was already pushing her luck, might as well go all in. She leaned over, nudging the other woman gently with her elbow and humming cheerfully, "C'mon! No need to shy. We're practically BFFs now. Spill it!"

Ruby eyed her elbow as if it was a fly in her soup and mumbled, "Knock it off. We're supposed to be enemies, remember?"

Charlie moved away slowly, keeping her features schooled, but she continued, "Admit it. You want to my friend! That's why you told Naomi to let me come along. You had an epiphany about how cool and awesome and fun I am and decided to jump from that tall, cold ivory tower you keep yourself locked in, and free fall into the warm embrace of my undying friendship!"

Ruby lifted her wide, incredulous eyes to Charlie and stared as if she expected Charlie to suddenly shout, 'Smile! You're on Candid Camera!'

"Charlie. Shut up."

Charlie did shut her mouth, and even moved back over to her desk. But after a few seconds of silence she sing-songed low enough to be heard by Ruby.

"Best. Friends. For-ev-er."

The other woman sighed loudly and shook her head, groaning in a barely audible voice, "God, what did I do to deserve this shit…?"

…-^o^-…

It wasn't until lunch time that Ruby's plans finally began to bear fruit.

Charlie looked up to see several women walking over to their desks. She recognized them as secretaries from different departments. The blonde leading the pack was named Lilith, and she was the Head Quarter's CEO, Zachariah's personal secretary. Charlie had thought she looked like a Grade 'A' Bitch. The thought was confirmed as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Oh my God, Ruby! You were totally right. I thought you were joking when you said you worked with a freakshow! What was it? A ginger-hipster-lesbian? I can't believe you were serious!"

Charlie's back straightened at the undisguised insult. "Excuse the hell out of me, bitch?" She asked smiling carefully, tilting her head at Lilith and her giggling cronies.

Lilith ignored her completely, turning a warm smile to Ruby. "We're all going out for lunch. You should come with. Zachariah's name gets me into all the best restaurants."

To Charlie's mild shock, Ruby smiled back cheerfully at the woman, the happy look almost terrifying to see on her usually stoic face.

It didn't look bad- Ruby was a hottie. But it was so unusual that Charlie felt like she had just stepped into the Twilight Zone.

"Thank God you asked! I was afraid I was going to be stuck eating here. You have no idea the ridiculous things Mr. High-and-Mighty in there is making me do!" She gestured with an exasperated eye-roll to Castiel's office.

Lilith's smile widened like a crocodile's, and she crooned, "Oh, you'll have to tell me all about it over lunch. I feel so bad for you!"

"Ugh! Definitely!" Ruby stood and moved out from behind her desk, grabbing her purse as she went. She cast an disgusted look over to Charlie, who was glaring up at her, and snapped out, "Oh my God! Stop checking me out for like, five seconds, puh-lease!" She turned her eyes helplessly to the other women, giving them a look that obviously showed how freaked out she was by Charlie. "And take care of the rest of that paperwork on my desk while you're here. I'm sick of having to do ALL the work." She added, smiling smugly to the others and mouthing the word 'lazy'.

Charlie seemed to recover from her shock fast, rising slowly and biting out, "Slow your roll, bitch. I take orders from Mr. Novak, not blond tramps on power-trips. Except in the bedroom, of course. But, uh, you don't quite meet my high standards." She looked Ruby up and down, clearly not impressed.

Lilith stepped in at this point, smirking as she motioned Ruby away. She smiled a sickly sweet smile at Charlie and threatened, "Careful, freakshow. I have a lot of connections and sway with my boss, Zachariah. If you want to be employed this time next month, I suggest you learn your place."

Charlie frowned and sputtered for something to say back. Lilith didn't bother waiting, spinning gracefully away and sweeping out with Ruby in tow.

Just as they were almost out of the large office area, Charlie saw Ruby carefully glance back, her face showing a hint of concern.

Charlie threw her a wink and thumbs up, earning a genuine grin from Ruby before the woman turned back around and left.

…-^o^-…

Teddy was on the phone again.

Tessa had already tried eavesdropping like before, but she ran out of excuses to linger around the man. She wasn't trying to be nosy. It was just that, the few bits of conversation she had managed to overhear sounded…bad. She was afraid Teddy was involved in something serious.

"You going to stand there sighing all day, or would you mind refilling my coffee, Tess?" Henrikson's steady voice asked.

Tessa snapped her attention back to the man who was frowning at her. "Sorry, Sheriff. Just thinking." She moved to fill up his coffee cup. He was seated at the counter, half-way through a slice of pie, as he watched the news.

"Anything good on today?" She asked, wrenching her attention away from Ted in his corner.

"More about that corporate shake-up. Apparently the ADA founder and oldest son still haven't been seen and rumors are flying. Left the youngest in charge. Kid looks miserable, if you ask me. And he's supposed to go toe to toe with Cathy Campbell tomorrow." He shrugged as he sipped his coffee and began working on his pie again.

Tess frowned at the report, looking up at the old television. The image was grainy at best, but she could she the flashing images on the screen well enough. The words were harder, but she managed to sort them out. It was all about the new heir to the company. The image of a handsome, frowning man with startlingly blue eyes appeared on the screen.

Hmm… She thought in surprise. The man had just about the exact same eye color as Teddy. Lucky bastards, she thought with a smile. She was stuck with plain brown eyes.

The image changed, the words flashing 'Missing ADA Founder'. A new image appeared.

Tessa blinked, squinting up at the screen. The same blue eyes again. This time on a the clean-shaven face of an older man. His hair was shockingly white.

She frowned, trying to see better. He actually looked a lot like-

The TV cut off.

Tessa turned fast to see Chuck holding the remote. He smiled at her gently, but his eyes stayed locked on hers. After a moment, he turned them pointedly to the Sheriff sitting a few feet across from where she stood, then back to hers.

Tessa's mouth opened slightly, but she closed it after a few seconds. Her wide eyes shot over to Teddy, still talking on the phone and staring calmly out the window in his little corner booth.

When she finally turned back to Chuck, she had made a decision.

She nodded her head once. An unspoken agreement passing between the two.

"Sheriff, shouldn't you be getting on back to work? I'd hate for you to get into any trouble just because I make a damn good pie." She smiled brightly at the man, who glanced at his watch and hopped up quickly.

"You're right, I've been hanging out here too long. I'll see you two next time, alright?" He left without a second glance at her, Chuck, or the 'missing' ADA Founder who was sipping coffee in the corner booth of their small North Dakota diner.

…-^o^-…

Dean was pissed.

Actually, no- pissed didn't cover what Dean was feeling at the moment.

His Thursday was shit. It had started out shit. Progressed into more shit. And now, as the day was finally ending, was concluding- surprise!- as shit.

After making the announcement to everyone first thing in the morning that he and Lisa were back on and re-engaged, his friends had been giving him the silent treatment.

Who the fuck were they to judge him? He could damn-well decide who he wanted to spend his life with. Plus, Lisa was pregnant! As far as any of them knew, it was Dean's baby. Dean had been very clear about that.

Lisa had nodded her head quietly in response during the announcement, but otherwise stayed silent. She wasn't comfortable with the lie. The irony that it had been her plan in the first place didn't seem to make it any easier on her.

But despite all of that, their friends were hesitant to celebrate the news.

It was making Dean furious. Lisa didn't deserve to be treated like that. She was their friend. And Dean's fiancée, finally. The woman who was supposedly carrying his child.

It was all because of Castiel.

Just thinking the name was enough to elicit a pang of sadness in Dean, but he tried to ignore it.

Everyone was reluctant to welcome Lisa back properly because they had convinced themselves that Dean was meant to be with Castiel. As if Dean hadn't been clear when he warned them all to drop it; pretend like the past several weeks had never happened.

Instead, they frowned at him constantly. They watched him and Lisa together with sad eyes.

Almost as if they knew it wasn't real.

Which was bullshit.

Sam being a punk-bitch and drawing on his face had been bad enough. But then Ellen had cancelled their concert for Friday. She had very curtly explained that it was a matter of practicality. Everyone's minds were going to be on the 'Big Interview' that was happening that morning. Castiel's interview.

It didn't help anything that Castiel's face was all over the TV and newspapers. Dean couldn't go anywhere without seeing Castiel or hearing about him, and the fucking ADA.

It turned out, damn-near half the city worked for the ADA. It seemed like all of Lawrence was tuned in to the latest news- nervously waiting for the interview. The fact that the new head of the company had worked right here in Lawrence briefly only made people more interested in the reports. The Road House now kept at least one TV turned to the news at all hours. Rumor was that the woman interviewing Castiel was a real hard-hitter. She had a reputation for going off script to blindside people. And she was said to have a not-so-secret grudge against the wealthy.

Dean tried to not to let it show, but he was scared.

Scared that Castiel, who he knew was reserved and uncomfortable socially, was going to be hurt by the woman. He wasn't sure that he could watch that- Castiel being attacked in front of the whole world. Dean was pissed about their circumstances and Castiel's abrupt departure from his life, but he couldn't turn off the fact that he cared about the man. He was having to deal with that fact every time the man's name came up.

Castiel was thrown in his face no matter where he went. He heard his name discussed constantly in stores, in the auto shop waiting room, on the damn street as people passed him, chatting to one another.

And now, at nine o'clock Thursday night, it was Castiel who was on Dean's mind, again.

Dean had arrived home to find the house to himself. Sam was staying over at Jess's apartment- the fucking coward laying low after his little face marking tantrum. Dean still had no idea what the fuck was up with that. And Lisa was out with Jo, who blessedly was making an effort to treat Lisa like she wasn't a leper. They were shopping for baby stuff then hitting up dinner and a movie. She expected to be back well after eleven p.m.

Which had left Dean with an afternoon free to continue cat-proofing the house. Lucifer was still shut away in his cage, patiently watching Dean passing by through his sharp green eyes. Or as Sam had described it, 'biding his time'. And it wasn't just Sammy that Lu was giving grief to. Lisa had stepped close to the cage when she had arrived the day before, excitedly reaching out to stroke the kitten's soft black fur. She had barely managed to pull her hand back at the low warning growl in time to avoid fast moving claws swinging towards her head.

Dean wasn't sure what to make of it.

The poor guy probably missed Castiel and the spacious apartment.

And, deep-down, hidden away from the sharp eyes of his friends, Dean missed Castiel, too. And he hated himself for it. Hated the urges to call him. Hated the need to hear his deep voice cutting like gravel through the air. Hated that everything blue reminded him of Castiel's eyes. He just hated everything.

Dean managed to get most of the large house finally cat-proofed, while trying uselessly to banish thoughts of blue eyes and messy hair from his mind. He found a stopping point, and decided to call it a night, dreading the inevitable dreams of Castiel that were sure to come.

As the hot water of the shower washed over him, Dean urged his body to relax. It had been days since he had gotten-off last. Monday morning in fact. In that deep-blue bed with Castiel as the sun began to break outside the bedroom window.

Dean groaned at himself for allowing his mind to remember that morning. His dick twitched enthusiastically, clearly missing the memo from his brain that thoughts of Castiel were not welcome.

With an annoyed sigh, Dean cut the shower off and stepped out. No helping it, now. Little Dean was already perking up. Might as well take care of it.

He reached into the cabinet under the sink, pulling out his stashed 'Busty Asian Beauties' magazine.

He could knock this out quick, then get to bed and, try to fall asleep before thoughts of Castiel could harass him, hopefully.

Twenty minutes later, Dean was cursing furiously at his traitorous dick, panting helplessly as it refused to respond to the posing figures on the pages. Not even page thirty-two! And she had a lot going for her…

He released himself with a groan and leaned against the sink while he stood over the toilet.

He wasn't going to do it.

He knew exactly why he wasn't getting off, and what he needed to do if he wanted to.

But, he wasn't going to go there.

His half-hard dick waited limply for him to cave, occasionally sending a short pulse of heat and need through his body.

Dean cursed angrily. All he wanted to was to get-off so he could get to sleep. It wasn't like someone was going to suddenly pop out from the towel closet and shout, 'Haha! Caught you wanking off to Castiel! Loser!'

He heaved a sigh and released the floodgates of memory.

Castiel's eyes meeting his in the darkness as flashes of fireworks burst high above him.

Castiel's warm smile as he looked up at Dean in the early morning light of dawn, hair ridiculously messed up and wild.

Castiel hot hands grasping for his shoulders, nails digging deep as Dean pumped into him hard from behind. Letting his lips graze over that tantalizing little tattoo just below the back of the man's neck.

Dean's breath was ragged, his cock finally getting onboard with his mind, hardening as he stroked with each imagined thrust into Castiel.

But his final release still eluded him.

Dean worked at it for several more minutes before finally letting out a roar of needy rage.

He couldn't understand it! Ever since meeting Castiel he had never failed to come at the thought of the man. And now, when he went against his own best wishes and allowed himself to fantasize about the him- it was useless!

Dean stomped his foot.

He HAD to get-off. NOW. He refused to quit so far into the game. He'd never be able to get to sleep.

He let his tired mind drift, focusing on his breathing. And then Dick Roman's words suddenly flashed across his mind. 'What I think is that Castiel is not going to put up for long with a straight boyfriend who won't bottom for him.'

That single line slammed through his mind like a train, smashing through the haze of horniness that surrounded his thoughts.

In his desperation to latch on to anything that could help him get off, Dean made a decision.

A terrifying, desperate decision...

He clenched his jaw tight, stomach fluttering at the thought of what he was going to do. He grabbed his towel and wrapped his lower body with it, the soft cotton material rubbing against his hard member.

With the stealth and caution possessed only by ninjas and chronic-masturbaters, Dean slowly opened the bathroom door, the sudden rush of cold air creating goosebumps across his still damp skin. He poked his head out slowly, ear tuned to even the slightest noises. It was never safe to assume a house was empty, especially when the stakes were high. The last thing Dean needed was for Sam or Lisa to suddenly show up while he was half-naked and fully hard.

When he was confident that the coast was clear, he made a dash for his room. The lights were off throughout the house, only the dim lights from streetlights shining through the window helping him navigate the darkness.

A sudden meow from the direction of Lucifer's cage startled Dean, but he recovered quickly, face reddening slightly as he mumbled, "Don't you judge me, Lu."

Once he made it to the safety of his bedroom he shut and locked the door fast. He allowed himself one steadying breath, before dropping the towel and moving quickly across the space to the closet.

If he slowed down or let his brain catch up, he might wuss-out.

He pulled Ash's box of gifts from its hiding place in the back of the closet.

At the top of the box were several guidebooks with pages bent to mark the sections that covered anal sex. Dean's mind flashed back to only last week, when he had enthusiastically perused the sections, taking in as much information and tips as possible.

All for Cas, so Dean could impress him. Make him feel good…

Dean caught himself staring at the volumes and shook the memories from his mind. He removed the books, casting them to the side and searched deeper in the box. He remembered seeing several items that would suit his needs. His hands found a box shaped like the ones he remembered and he pulled it out with shaking hands.

'Crystal Jellies Anal Starter Kit' the package read under the dim light.

Dean felt a shiver run through his body. Am I really going to do this...?

He stared at the three cock-shaped toys in the box, each one a varying size, small, medium, and large.

Yep...I'm really going to do this….

Before his nerves could build up more, he tore into the package and pulled out the smallest dildo and a complimentary bottle of unscented lube.

Alright, he thought, you've done this kind of thing with Cas. You've read up on all of it. Nothing to be freaked out about. It's supposed to feel good. At the very least he would be prepared for the not-too-distant-future prospect of prostate exams….

Geez, his mind was delirious from nerves….

He positioned himself awkwardly on the bed, resting on his knees, his cock bobbing in anticipation.

Uncapping the lube, he poured it generously into his hand, letting it coat his fingers, before placing the small bottle on his nightstand. He paused for just a moment, staring at his slick hand in the dim light of his dark room. His breath caught as the full magnitude of what he was about to do hit him.

There wasn't any going back from this point. If he did this and…and 'liked' it, then he couldn't just go back to normal, could he?

And if he didn't like it, then what? Would that mean Dick was right? Dean wasn't really gay?

He frowned at the thought, the urge to prove Dick wrong surprisingly being the motivation he needed to proceed.

He reached his hand behind himself and shifted forward to give himself better access. He let his fingers glide tentatively across his tight hole a few times. It was sensitive, small tingles ghosting through him.

He took a deep breath and slowly pushed in a finger. He felt himself clench, shying away from the alien sensation. He stopped for a moment, letting himself adjust.

The guides had all said that going slow and having patience was key for first time penetration. He had pretty much skimmed over those sections, just because Cas already had that part down. Naturally, he hadn't expected to be fingering himself open on his bed only a week later.

He checked his breathing, forcing himself to remain calm as he pushed his digit further inside. It felt... strange. He could feel his muscles tightening and loosening around him, small shudders shaking him each time the gripped around his finger. He pulled out partially, then pushed back in faster.

It didn't 'hurt'….

Encouraged, he pulled his finger out and pressed slowly back in with two slick digits now. His body resisted the intrusion more this time, causing him to roll his hips a bit to accommodate the stretching. There was the presence of a dull, aching sensation, coming from that entire area. But not necessarily pain. Just a mild discomfort from the intrusion.

He allowed his body several more moments to relax before pushing both fingers deeper. The feeling of being filled and of having his muscles squeezing against him was different from anything he had ever experienced. He had never imagined that he would be able to feel so much sensation in that part of his body. He decided to add a third finger, easing it in extra-carefully to join the other two.

He thrust the digits in and out, increasing the pace as he grew more relaxed and comfortable. The dull pain was still present, but there was no searing pain or sharp tearing sensations like his mind had always imagined came with anal sex.

Dean removed his fingers, exhaling slightly at the feeling of loss. It surprised him that he felt empty without them.

His cock had softened during the process. He gave it a few gentle pulls to keep it roused, then reached over to pick up the smallest dildo.

He hesitated. The toy was certainly small. It was shorter than the average dick (not that Dean made a habit of checking or anything), and had a smaller girth. He held his other hand up to it and estimated that it was approximately the same size as his three fingers together.

He carefully squirted lube on it, rubbing all over to ensure that it was completely coated. Once he felt comfortable, he leaned forward again and positioned it at his entrance. The head of the toy rubbing against his hole felt weird, but he began to apply pressure despite the fact.

He was met with resistance immediately. He couldn't be sure if it was all in his head or if the toy was just shaped in a way that made it harder to push in than his fingers. His breaths became more harsh as he steadily increased pressure, willing himself to loosen up and allow it in.

A sharp, burning pain began to grow the more he pressed, causing a sweat to break out all over his body, but he continued to add more and more pressure, afraid to lose his progress by backing out now.

After a few more pained seconds he felt something give and knew immediately that he had made it past the tight ring of his entrance. His muscles clenched and released as he let his body adjust to this new feeling.

The sharp burning was still present, but fading fast as his body slowly relaxed around the toy.

Very slowly and carefully, he inched the dildo in further, paying close attention to every sensation and the increasingly full feeling. Once it was fully in, Dean began pulling it slowly back out, feeling his body resist the loss and try to grip it tightly. He hummed at the feeling, heat flushing his body.

His ass was beginning to feel sore from being stretched. The dull ache was distracting him, but it was still manageable.

He reached down to stroke himself with his free hand, simultaneously pulling and pushing the toy in and out.

Not so bad at all, he thought to himself with a small flash of pride. It didn't feel great, but it was nowhere near as painful as his fearful mind had built it up to be over the years. He had done it.

Feeling a strong sense of courage at his victory, he began to experiment more with the small toy. He slowly tilted it and let it roll widely. His muscles ached at the stretching movement, tightening as he tested his boundaries.

Meanwhile, his hand continued its steady pace on his dick, urging it back up.

He returned to the thrusting movements, this time allowing his mind to wander completely free.

He pictured Castiel, grinning sexily up at him. Imagined it was his fingers working themselves in and out of him. His hand pulling at Dean's cock.

Dean felt his breath deepen as he increased the pace.

Castiel's blue eyes locked on his, enjoying watching Dean succumb to the new sensations he was causing.

Dean moaned loudly, intentionally tightening down on the firm bulk of the toy inside him. Fuck. Ah, holy shit….

His cock was hard and heavy in his shaking hand, precum already dripping slowly from the tip as Dean milked the heated length.

'Do you like that Dean? Like me pressing inside you- feeling you up good? Do you want more?' The sound of Castiel's imagined voice, raspy and light, had Dean rocking further into his movements.

Dean was so close his whole body was shuddering and bucking into the thrusts of the toy.

The dull aching had disappeared under the more prominent, tantalizing burn that was spreading and all over his body.

His movements grew erratic as the hand grasping the bottom of the toy tried to push it further and deeper into him, reaching for something.

One deep thrust at just the right angle ripped a keening moan from Dean's breathless mouth.

There! He needed more- right there!

He pushed deep again, desperate, searching as he tried to mimic the thrust. He tilted the toy again going as deep as he could, cursing the wide, flattened bottom of the toy that was inhibiting him from pressing deeper.

He groaned with helpless fury, rocking himself fully backward, the semi-firm surface of the mattress pressing the toy deeper as his hips rolled uncontrollably.

Please-please-please-!

He felt his eyes stinging from the tears that were building.

God-! If he didn't hit that spot again he was going to die of frustration!

He rocked and circled his hips around as his hand fisted his aching cock, so close to finally reaching that release.

Suddenly, he rocked in just the right way and saw stars. His body jolted with pleasure. He held it there, rolling barely enough to repeatedly hit the spot with each movement, heat and sensation and toe-curling pleasure accompanying every brush of the nerves.

He felt his orgasm build thickly, deep inside him. Tried to breath, to prepare himself. Holy shit-! He had never felt it coming on so strong before!

His body moved on its own, keeping the contact deep inside him as his muscles started clenching up uncontrollably to squeeze down on the toy.

The sudden wave of heat and strained nerves choked the breath out of him as his body shot up and tightened. He teetered for an eternity, body frozen, then his world started crashing gloriously around him. He shot his release in several short, mind-racking bursts, as his hand pulled at his pulsing cock with tight, hard strokes. His throat burned, and he realized that he was shouting helplessly as his body shuddered through the orgasm.

The last pulses of pleasure finally faded enough for him regain control of his trembling body. He pitched forward numbly, shoulders grazing, then sliding down, the wooden headboard in front of him. He collapsed, boneless, in a gasping heap on top of his pillows.

As the deafening buzz in his mind finally ebbed away, all he could manage to think was, 'Well, I'll be damned...'

And because that didn't even begin to cover it, he repeated it out loud, his hoarse voice sounding foreign and distant.

"I'll be damned…"

…-^o^-…

"We need to get back, Balthazar!"

Castiel tried to shout the words over the loud music of the club. He had lost his tall friend for nearly thirty minutes in the huge, crowded space. The lights were kept turned down, the occasional strobe light flashing as the only real light in the place.

He didn't have time for this. Tomorrow morning he was going to be facing off with the scariest woman on live TV for an interview. The last thing he needed was to show up unprepared. She would 'destroy' him...more than she was already going to as it was.

Castiel was tired. He had been jostled, pushed, elbowed, and worst of all, 'hit on', for the last several hours. At one point, he had tried to dig out his phone to call Balthazar to find the man, and had discovered that his cell phone was gone- probably pick-pocketed.

He was furious that he had even agreed to sneak out in the first place.

Balthazar had been insistent. He refused to take no for an answer, stating that Castiel needed to get out and let loose if he was ever going to get over Dean.

His solution had been that they escape from the ADA building- after curfew- and hit up the most popular gay club in Down Town San Diego.

And then, to apparently ditch Castiel, leaving him to fend off handsy men the whole night.

He'd even made the mistake of crossing the dance floor while looking for Balthazar. It was a terrible decision. He had suddenly been ambushed on all sides by random men enthusiastically dry-humping him.

It was horrible.

By the time he finally found Balthazar- taking shots from the belly-button of a handsome young man's toned stomach- he was borderline pissed and more than ready to leave.

He tried to pull on Balthazar's shirt to get him to move away from the cheering crowd.

Suddenly, Castiel's eyes caught on a flash of green. He did a double take, eyes falling upon a smiling face nearby.

The stranger seemed to have been hoping to catch Castiel's attention, giving him a small smile and a wink when their eyes met.

Castiel was too focused on the man's face to care.

He had short, styled blond hair and light green eyes.

Just like Dean...

Unfortunately, the similarities stopped there. The stranger was tall and thin. He was wearing a high-end collared shirt and nice slacks that Dean would probably never be seen dead wearing.

But, those eyes….

The man was already moving towards Castiel.

He panicked for a moment, debating running, but he was too lost in those damn eyes.

The man arrived in front of him, smiling widely and leaning in close. His voice was friendly and edged with hope. "Hi there."

Castiel realized he was staring into the man's eyes still, and hurriedly looked away. "Hi. Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

"No, it's fine. Really. I like the attention." The man seemed surprisingly easy-going compared to the rest of the people in the club who were desperately throwing themselves at him all night. Castiel felt himself relax, just barely.

"My name's Ryan." The man said loudly over the music and louder cheers (Balthazar did five sequential shots, each out of a different man's naval).

"Cas," Castiel answered, flinching when he realized that he had told the man his nickname. The one Dean gave him….

"Nice to meet you, Cas." Ryan smiled and shook his hand. There were more loud cheers (Balthazar bought a round of shots for the whole group). Castiel and Ryan both cringed at the noise. "Hey, do you want to, uh, maybe go somewhere…quieter?" Ryan asked, leaning close to Castiel's ear, his breath tickling the sensitive flesh.

Castiel glanced back over to Balthazar (who appeared to be spanking a young man, who looked to be enjoying it immensely).

Castiel turned back to Ryan, who was waiting patiently, eyes clearly saying that he was willing to beg.

"Um...I-I guess-"

"No. He's leaving. Right now." A firm hand on his arm and Dick's voice had Castiel spinning around fast.

"Dick? What the hell?" Castiel stammered. Ryan seemed uncomfortable, eyeing the two men carefully.

"I'll take you back. Let's go." Dick tugged on his arm, but Castiel wrenched it away, more confused than angry.

"How did you even know we were here?"

Dick frowned at him. "What? What do you mean, how? I got your text. How drunk are you?" He leaned down, apparently inspecting Castiel's eyes in confusion.

"I-I'm not drunk, Dick. And I didn't text you. I lost my phone earli-" Castiel stopped. He had reached into his pocket automatically at the mention of his missing phone, but his hands had suddenly wrapped around it.

As if it had been there the whole time.

Castiel pulled it out and stared at it, lost as to how it was back. He was sure it hadn't been in there an hour ago….

He turned it on and checked his sent messages and, sure enough, there was one sent to Dick.

C: need a pick-up fast. very drunk at the reaper bar in down town (few blocks from ADA). help!-guys keep touching me.

Castiel read and re-read the text incredulously.

NO WAY he had sent it.

He looked up at Dick who was mean-mugging a very worried looking Ryan.

"Dickie! So glad you could make it!" Balthazar's loud voice cut through the crowd.

Dick froze, his eyes widening almost comically as Balthazar suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around him from behind.

"You here to Par-tay, Dickie?" Balthazar asked, emphasizing 'Par-tay' by thrusting his hips against Dick's ass with each syllable.

Dick's face turned bright red and he clawed furiously at Balthazar's arms. "Get the hell off of me you drunk moron-!"

Castiel shook his head. Balthazar had been drinking, but was certainly nowhere near drunk. Hell, drowning in a tank of scotch wouldn't phase the man.

No, he was faking it- as usual- just to rile Dick up.

And it was working- extremely well, judging by the fluent curses spewing from Dick's mouth.

Castiel sighed and turned back to Ryan, who at this point had his eyebrows raised so high they were almost shooting off his forehead. "It was nice meeting you, Ryan. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

The eyes that looked so much like Dean's met his again, and the man smiled sadly. "Yeah, I guess so. Maybe another time…?" He asked, face flushing a bit.

Castiel looked at the man. He liked the young man. He seemed mature and friendly. Actually, a pretty good match to the type Castiel was usually into. But, he looked just a little TOO much like Dean. And Castiel couldn't pretend that he wasn't considering saying yes to the man based soley on his appearance.

"Uh…maybe." Castiel answered weakly, and he could tell Ryan caught the underlying 'no'.

The other man nodded, and slowly walked away.

Castiel huffed a sigh. It was just too soon for all this. He should never have let Balthazar convince him to come out.

He turned back to the two men. Dick was using all his strength to fend off a kiss from Balthazar, the blonde man's head locked tightly in his shaking hands.

"Alright, Dick. Let's head back." Both men paused, turning to Castiel as if they had forgotten he was there.

Dick took advantage of the moment, ducking out from under Balthazar's grip and letting out a very out-of-character gleeful victory shout once he was free. He seemed to recover himself quickly at Castiel and Balthazar's raised eye-brows, straightening out his suit nervously.

He cleared his throat and spoke to Castiel. "Yes. For god's sake, let get out of this… disgusting pit."

He pointedly did NOT look at Balthazar as he turned and walked away, Castiel following behind him.

A glance back showed a grinning Balthazar watching the tall man with sharp, sober eyes as he disappeared into the crowd.

Castiel winced, almost feeling sorry for Dick.

He knew that look, but he certainly wasn't expecting to see it directed at Dick Roman.

People were so surprising sometimes, he thought as he turned back, leaving Balthazar and his Cheshire Cat grin behind.

...-^o^-...

Shortly after Castiel and Dick's departure, Balthazar felt a sharp pinch on his ass.

He turned fast, smiling at the aggressive offender.

He froze.

Never one to be caught off-guard for long, he smirked and drawled out, "Lovely ascot, Gabriel."

Gabriel grinned broadly at him. He was dressed in what only his twisted mind would consider 'incognito'.

His outfit consisted of leopard print skinny jeans, a flared-sleeve white pirate shirt that was unbuttoned ALL the way down his chest, exposing pale skin and dark curls of hair.

And of course, a neon-orange ascot.

Balthazar decided to not even go there. He chose instead to ask the most obvious question.

"I take it you're the one who called Dickie in to take Cassie away?"

Gabriel gave an elegant bow, dipping forward lowly.

Balthazar assumed that was an acknowledgement of guilt. Probably...

"I also take it you have some sort of idea to help get Cassie out of this missing-money predicament?"

Gabriel grinned darkly. "Idea? Balthazar, baby, I have a whole fucking War Strategy. I'm going to to bring Heaven and Hell crashing down by the time this is all over."

He winked up at the taller man and asked lowly, "Wanna help?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: THE INTERVIEW (Dramatic Reverb)


	30. Interview with the Vampire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We surpassed my 100 Kudos Goal!! *does back-flip* Thanks so much for reading everyone!
> 
> This chapter is one of my very-favorites!

Castiel wasn't sure his legs were going to keep holding him up.

They were already shaking uncontrollably, along with every other part of his body.

He was standing (barely) in the Green Room of the 'Cathy Campbell Morning Show' studio. Everyone was watching him fight his way through his latest panic attack with wary eyes. Dick was behind him, giving him a shoulder massage, which, for this one time, Castiel wasn't going to shy away from.

He couldn't do this. How in the Hell was he was going to be able to do this? Surely no one seriously thought that he was going to be able to sit calmly while some ruthless fox-woman verbally attacked him in front of the entire world on live TV.

Castiel tried to squeeze out the words to tell the worried looking team that he couldn't do this. Tried to tell everyone. But all that came out was breathless cough.

The door flew open, causing Castiel to jump nearly a foot in the air. "They're almost ready for you. You remember everything the teams covered?" Michael spoke fast as he entered the small room, giving Castiel a scrutinizing stare. "Stay away from the the topic of the embezzlement. And don't let her goad you into defending the motives of your missing father and brother. And absolutely do NOT touch the subject of homosexuality. Castiel-" Michael stepped up in front of him, grasping him as he met his eyes. "If the public finds out you're gay, the company could crumble over-night. You cannot screw this up."

Castiel stood, staring back at him blankly.

I'm going to single-handedly destroy the company over-night. OH. GOD.

A knock at the door signaled that it was time to stand-by off-stage. It sounded to Castiel like nails being hammered into his coffin.

Ruby, Charlie, Naomi, Dick and Balthazar all watched with tightly-drawn faces as he moved stiffly out of the room. No one spoke, not even to offer him encouragement or advice. They had already said everything they could think of beforehand.

It was all up to him now.

As he stepped up to the side of the brightly lit set, his eyes took in the room. The stage had been arranged to look like a homely living room. It had comfortable looking plush seats and a large accent rug across the floor. A woman with sharp eyes and a tight-fitting business suit was sitting calmly in one of the seats, looking carefully over notes written in a notebook.

The sounds of people pulled Castiel's attention off the fake-looking comfort of the set where he saw a large audience shifting patiently and chatting in muted tones in bleachers. Mid-way in front of the crowd, closer to the set, several huge black cameras were moving to focus onto where the woman sat.

I'm never going to pull this off, he thought as his throat closed tightly with horror.

A hand tapped his shoulder, causing him choke on the air that rushed from his lungs.

"…A-Alfie?"

"Good morning, sir! You look excited! I just wanted to offer you some advice." The young man smiled and Castiel nodded numbly, too terrified to be annoyed by the enthusiastic intern. The young man's voice shifted from almost blindingly cheerful to low and serious as he stared deep into Castiel's eyes. "Don't lie about 'anything' and tackle every question she throws you 'honestly', no matter what it is."

Castiel blinked in shock as the man patted his arm, smile returning as if it had never left.

"You're up, sir!" And the next thing Castiel knew he was half-stumbling with legs of jelly onto the set; the eyes of the world were on him.

I can't do this! I can't-!

Castiel felt the increasingly familiar feeling of darkness closing in as he, ironically, stepped into the blinding white lights of the set. Behind the lights, he could see the rows and rows of faces that made up the studio audience. Eight huge cameras turned, locking on to him.

And it suddenly occurred to him: If everyone was really watching this interview, was it possible-? Could Dean be watching, too? Was he in Lawrence, tuned in, seeing Castiel at this very moment?

Dean could be watching him, this very second, through the bulky lens of one of those monstrous cameras.

Maybe even...worried for him...?

Castiel straightened sharply, sucking in a deep, fortifying breath, and stepped bravely forward.

…-^o^-…

Dean's friends and fellow mechanics had the courtesy not to say anything as Dean finally entered and joined the crowd of workers and customers in the packed auto shop waiting room. He had tried to play it off- make it seem like he didn't care that Cas was about to be fucking eaten alive on television while the whole damn world watches.

Of COURSE he was going to watch the damn interview.

Didn't mean he missed Cas or anything like that… He just wanted to see how it all went.

Yeah, right...

Dean felt a tight knot of nerves and anticipation growing in his stomach. His body was shaking, and he knew that the watchful eyes of his friends saw it, but they kept their opinions to themselves.

Bobby motioned to him, signaling an open spot by the older man's side at the front of the large crowd, right in front of the wall mounted big screen TV. Dean swallowed thickly, but moved forward to join him.

The room was silent, almost thirty eyes eagerly waiting for the new Head of the ADA to make his appearance.

For Cas to appear...

Dean's body gave a soft shudder, the muscles of his slightly sore ass clenching as a reminder of the previous night.

His mind flashed back to the evening before, when he had shamelessly fantasized about Cas… being 'back there'. Filling him up so totally and completely….

Shit. Who was he kidding? This was going to be torture. Cas was too warm and gentle to playing hard ball with the manic bitch, Cathy Campbell. The woman was practically on a personal mission to expose high ranking politicians and big business owners. Hell, Dean had even been kind of a fan of the woman, back when he agreed that all rich people were evil dicks bent on screwing over the working amn. Back before Cas stepped into the damn garage looking torn up and adorable...

Dean wasn't sure he could handle watching Cas be hurt. Watching such an honestly kind, innocent man be attacked for being forced into a job he hadn't ever asked for. His stomach turned at the idea of being helpless as Cas was humiliated and criticized openly. He didn't deserve that-! Not even with as much as Dean was hurt by the man's cold and abrupt abandonment could he stand seeing Cas suffer.

C'mon, Cas. You can do this….

The cameras panned to the far left and Castiel stepped out, his eyes seeming to lock directly onto the camera, as if he could see past all the miles separating them, straight into Dean's eyes.

Dean sucked in a breath. He willed the other man to hear him as he poured all his strength into the silent prayer.

You can do this, Cas...

…-^o^-…

Tessa, Chuck and even Teddy, himself, sat at the counter and watched the small TV in the diner as the new ADA head stepped into the cameras' view.

Teddy did not appear nervous, considering that Tessa now knew that it was his youngest son who was about to appear on one of the toughest talk shows on TV. The man just sipped his coffee as if he was staring out his booth's window on any other day.

Unable to stop herself, Tessa reached out, placing a warm hand on the older man's forearm.

He didn't bother to shift his gaze to her as he reached over to pat her hand in return, his eyes remaining fixed calmly on the screen.

…-^o^-…

"You think he's gonna faint?" Charlie asked the group, horror in her voice as she watched her boss enter the set. He appeared to stumble, just barely, pausing to stare at the cameras and crowd.

"No." Responded five confident voices in sync.

And, as if he could hear their confidence in him, he suddenly straightened up, his face relaxing, with a small glint of determination appearing in his eyes.

Charlie smiled, recognizing his demeanor as that of the beginning of a Think Tank session.

There you go, boss! You've got this! Now, tear this bitch a new one! Charlie silently cheered.

..-^o^-…

"Thank you so much for joining us today, Mr. Novak!" Cathy Campbell stood, reaching out her hand for an alarmingly firm handshake.

Castiel didn't flinch, like most people who underestimated her powerful grip. He just returned it with a strong shake of his own. The lovely woman's lips quirked up just the slightest bit.

She gestured for him to sit.

"So, Mr. Novak, let's jump right in, if you don't mind. It seems I can't go anywhere without seeing your face in the headlines or on the TV. Tell us- what is it like, suddenly catapulting into fame over-night?"

The question was meant to be conversational. It was intended to put him at ease before she could swoop in and catch him off-guard. Cathy had been doing this job for over a decade. Although the world considered her largely a 'bitch', she knew that it was a love/hate relationship. The public wanted to see her crucify the high and mighty on their behalf. They counted on her to hit low and hard, digging into the deeply buried secrets of the powerful. In all her years interviewing the world's leaders, only one man had managed to escape her death-like grip.

This man's father, Theodore Novak.

Cathy realized that this was her opportunity to finally seize that ever-elusive victory that had haunted her career.

Everybody had secrets.

Everybody was afraid of something being discovered. Especially the rich and powerful, who bled their fame and wealth from the life-blood of the innocent public.

She hadn't been able to discover Theodore Novak's demons.

But his son? His weakness had been too easy.

She smiled widely as the man in front of her paused almost as if frozen.

Come on, handsome. Let's give the people watching the show of their lives.

To her surprise, the blue-eyed man in front of her shrugged- shrugged!- his shoulders, and replied with a helpless little smile, "Well, Cathy, honestly, it's a lot like what I imagine Hell to be."

And that was his answer. He blinked at her, as if patiently waiting for the next question.

Well... fuck. Cathy thought, her smile almost faltering.

The studio audience sat in a stunned silence.

...

From where they stood off-stage, watching the show, the ADA team's jaws all dropped.

Michael made some sort of deep throated whine as his face paled visibly.

...

In Lawrence, Kansas, Dean felt his heart swell with pride and also a sharp jab of pain.

Cas was miserable. He was unhappy...And Dean was half-way across the country. It felt more like worlds away...

...

Cathy pulled on her years of experience and recovered quickly. Her voice was sharp and critical. "You mean to say that a massive wealth and private jets is a form of hellish torture, Mr. Novak?" There! She smiled smugly. Nothing turned an audience against someone faster than pointing out the obscene gap between rich and poor.

The man stared at her pensively, then tilted his head to the side as if confused. "I thought your question was how I felt about being abruptly pulled from my regular life?" Cathy actually flinched at having her own words thrown back at her. "The honest answer is, it sucks. Even with things like money and jets." He looked down, seemingly thinking hard, then gazed at her with his bright blue eyes. "I'm beginning to suspect that Cinderella did not actually live happily ever after, either."

Then he smiled a sad, earnest smile and the studio audience lost_their_minds.

The loud applause (unprompted by the Applause Sign) washed over Cathy along with the sinking sensation of dread.

It was Theodore Novak all over again. She was back in her reoccurring nightmare, where the man's deep blue-eyes taunted her- made her resolve shake-! Now, those same blue eyes were on her yet again, apparently clear and guileless! She knew better! Their were secrets buried in the foundation of the Novak Monarchy and their company, and she's be damned if she missed her chance to topple the regime yet again!

Clearly she was going to have strike fast to win this.

Putting on her most sympathetic tone, she patted his hand and spoke, "I can barely imagine how it must feel. First, your father abandons the company without warning, followed by your notorious brother. No one knowing WHERE they are or WHY they left! How are you, personally, dealing with the scandal and these horrible rumors of embezzlement?"

Flawless! She thought gleefully. None of that was public knowledge yet! An insider source had leaked it anonymously to the news station. It was blow after blow of shocking secrets that he was put on the spot to answer.

She heard the shocked gasps and murmurs of the studio audience processing the information and tried to contain her smug grin.

...

The ADA team stared on with shock.

The secrets they had tried so hard to keep from the public were out. Someone had managed to leak them already. There was nothing left to do but sit back and wait as the public lashed out at them in rage and fear.

Dick's eyes had never left Castiel's. He suddenly spoke, moving forward fast, "I'-Im pulling him out of there. It's already over, he shouldn't have to go through this-"

A hand caught him. He turned to find Balthazar's eyes on his. "Have some faith, Dickie." The tall blond gave Dick a small, soft smile. Dick frowned, turning back to the set, where Castiel seemed to be thinking hard.

...

In Lawrence, Dean and the rest of the group crowded into the small waiting room were frozen in surprise. Several people asked no one in particular, "Is...is that TRUE? Embezzlement? His father and brother are MISSING? Scandal? What does it all MEAN?!"

Dean had no idea what to make of it all. Could all of this be true? Is that why Cas was there, stuck running the company all of the sudden? Because it was all falling apart?

If the company wasn't in jeopardy, would he have...

Would Cas maybe have fought harder to stay with Dean...?

Dean had to shake off the idea. That didn't matter- couldn't matter. The point was, he HAD left. They were over. Free to live their very different lives...

So, why was his heart aching so painfully...?

...

Castiel Novak frowned, nodding his head slowly at Cathy's barrage of questions. At last, he sighed and looked into her eyes with his own wide, blue ones. "I'm worried about both of them, Cathy. Neither of them is the type to run from their problems, especially something as simple as missing money. I'm concerned that there were extenuating circumstances that made both of them fear for their safety, or the safety of the company employees."

Cathy's smug smile locked in place as she sucked in air tightly.

Another short, heart-felt answer that railroaded over her attempts to demonize him. How in the hell had he managed to spin the question into making his father and brother look like heroes?! AND down-playing the embezzlement-?!

She was floundering, and she knew it. If she didn't turn this on him immediately, then he was going to win the sympathy of the public with almost no effort on his part.

She had to use the Ace in her pocket.

"I imagine the stress is taking a toll on more than just your work-life. This must be terribly stressful on your girlfriend and home life, as well." She frowned sadly for him, shaking her head at the idea.

Take it! Take the bait! Say anything, then step back while I tear your lie into shreds!

She almost couldn't stay in her seat, she was so eager to call out his lie.

She knew he was gay. She knew what being 'outed' in public did to a prominent corporate career. The conservative portion of the public was merciless when they saw an opening present itself. And when he denied it, then had it forcefully exposed, the remaining liberals would condemn him as well for his perceived shame.

She was not proud of playing this card; had nothing against the LGBT communities, or even his preferences.

She had a problem with 'corruption'.

And she refused to have scruples about playing mean with small matters when the bigger issues could destroy innocent people's lives. She was willing to take Castiel Novak down, no matter how much she dragged herself through the mud to do it.

She had to protect the People from him, and the people like him.

...

Dean didn't realize he had almost fallen over until he found himself being lowered into one of the waiting room chairs by Benny and Bobby.

A few customers had turned to stare at him curiously, but everyone's attention was quickly pulled back to the TV screen.

Even Dean couldn't rip his attention from the interview- from Castiel's suddenly pale, silent face.

It was obviously a set-up. Anyone who knew Castiel was gay could see the clear manipulation of the question.

There was no way that Castiel could answer honestly without burying himself. And if he answered honestly…?

Was he going to mention Dean? Their break-up just days before? Was his and Dean's relationship about to be exposed to the entire world?

...

Michael's large form was sitting, collapsed, on the floor along the side of the wall, just off the stage. He was mumbling to himself and shaking his head helplessly.

The rest of the group wasn't sure which way to look- at Castiel as the long, deafening silence filled the set, or at the stoic, always-calm Michael who was practically in the fetal position.

It had almost defied belief how well the interview was going for the ADA Team. Castiel's abrupt decision to disregard all of the planning and scripts that had been prepared for him seemed to somehow work BETTER than their original plan. Everyone was beginning to see the finish line in sight.

But, this last question was the deal breaker. Obviously Cathy knew something. It didn't even have to be substantiated. The mere hint or suggestion that Castiel was gay was enough to send public opinion plummeting. Followed by stocks. Followed by partners distancing themselves. And so on.

They had lost. Worse, they had never actually been poised to win. It was all an illusion from the very beginning.

Dick's heart was beating too fast. He wanted to get to Castiel, pull him to safety. A gentle squeeze of his arm made him realize that Balthazar was still holding onto him tightly. Dick looked at the other man's face with a small frown of confusion, but the blond was apparently focused completely on Castiel on the set.

"Wow! Who knew an interview could get so exciting!" Alfie's peppy voice filled the horrified silence surrounding the group.

All eyes turned to look at the man, who was almost buzzing with wide-eyed enthusiasm as Castiel finally began speaking.

…

"You're right, Cathy. This whole matter has really taken a toll on the people in my life. It's… selfish for me to act like I'm the only one suffering from the recent events. There really is no aspect of my life that hasn't been affected."

Cathy sucked in her breath, nails digging into her expensive skirt at the obvious omission of mentioning a girlfriend. She had him! He was cornered and all she had to do was ask him directly and he would be forced to answer one way or another!

The words formed on the tip of her tongue, and she opened her mouth-

But he met her eyes with a friendly smile, and continued before she could even begin, "And I'm actually gay, Cathy. Bi-sexual, technically, but definitely leaning more towards gay." He nodded his head as he spoke, seeming to test his own feelings on the matter, and find them to be accurate. Then, he turned back to her, smiling again and added apologetically, "Sorry for the confusion."

His easy admission was met with the sound of everyone in the large audience's sudden intake of breath.

Cathy felt like she had just been physically slapped across the face. He TOOK it! He TOOK her last weapon away from her, then SMILED at her like it was just a-a child's squirt-gun!

She wasn't going to allow him to leave her interview unscathed. She didn't care if it was petty. She didn't care if her own ratings plummeted. She wanted to taste his rich, upper-class blood. If she was known forever after this as a ruthless vampire, then she was going to earn the title!

Before the audience could recover, she angrily jabbed the button of her small video controller, keeping a near-manic smile plastered on her face.

"It's so funny that you mention that, Mr. Novak! Because, as it turns out, we have discovered some very- shall we say- damning video of you from your time in college."

The room dimmed and a large screen display appeared behind them.

The video was raw, obviously amateur from some sort of hand-held device. It showed a large crowd gathered around a stage. Six men and women were sitting off to the side, holding pens poised as they closely watched the women lined up.

It appeared to be some sort of beauty pageant.

As the camera panned shakily across the lovely faces, Cathy suddenly froze the image and jumped out of her chair ecstatically.

"There! Right there, in the yellow! Do you deny that the person in the yellow dress is in fact, YOU, Mr. Novak?! In DRAG!" The sound of the crowd gasping and shuffling in the bleachers to see better filled the silence after the question.

…

Dean's mouth was hanging open widely as he stared at the frozen image on the TV screen.

It was definitely Castiel.

His hair was longer, the lush dark locks grazing the top of his narrow shoulders. He looked younger, with no trace of the normal five o'clock shadow darkening his jaws. His blue eyes shone brightly, complementing the yellow dress that tucked nicely around the almost imperceptible curves of his slender frame.

A deep, male voice from somewhere in the back of the waiting room said aloud what everyone else present, including Dean, was already thinking.

"Damn…that is one pretty dude…"

There was a murmur of stunned agreement throughout the room.

…

Michael groaned weakly and fainted, but no one bothered to acknowledge him.

…

Cathy spun around, standing tall and proud of her victory. She cast her cold eyes on Castiel Novak, wanting to keep the memory of his horrified face to keep her warn on cold nights. She felt a flash of disappointment at the sight of him looking almost amused.

Does this idiot not realize how bad this looks for him?

She demanded loudly, "I'm sure the public would like to hear you explain yourself, Mr. Novak!"

She watched in horror as he cracked a grin and -dammit!- shrugged again!

No. No! NO NO NO! He couldn't smooth his way out of this! He couldn't possibly flash those gorgeous blue eyes and woo his way out of this! Not THIS! It was DRAG, for god's sake! Even many pro-gay rights supporters balked at the mention of DRAG! It was a blatant display of homosexuality that people were notoriously fast to cringe away from. He was DONE!

He HAD to be done….

"I can't believe you found another copy of that. My brother, Gabriel, has another one that he took on his phone. He was there in the audience."

Cathy stuttered, then forced herself to demand again, "What do you have to SAY for yourself, Mr. Novak? Tell the world- please!" She gestured furiously at the audience and cameras which were staring in shock, waiting.

He blinked at her in confusion, tilting his head again (which she hated- absolutely hated, but it didn't-matter-cause-he-was-DONE!), then turned his wide eyes to the many cameras and the audience.

"Oh….well, I don't want to brag, but, uh, I did get First Place. And three of the judges' phone numbers." He blushed at the admission.

The now-familiar stunned silence filled the large studio yet again.

From somewhere in the very back of the audience, back behind the bleachers, the sound of one person slowly clapping echoed loudly.

Soon, another set of solitary, but more enthusiastic clapping joined the first, this time from off stage.

Castiel turned and saw that the second clapper was Alfie, right off-set with the others, beaming brightly.

And just like that, within a few seconds, the studio audience was on their feet, clapping and shouting and whistling like crazy.

Castiel's face flushed hotly, turning it a charming red, which made the crowd erupt into even louder applause.

Cathy stared horrified at the crowd, then at Castiel Novak's blushing face.

She yanked her microphone off and walked over to where Castiel was seated, covering his own clipped-on microphone and spoke softly.

"Alright. Well-played, Mr. Novak. I'm… impressed." Her face relaxed slightly and her lips quirked up, hinting that a genuine smile was hiding under her prickly exterior. "But, don't think this means I wont be watching you closely. If I catch even the slightest hint that you are up to something suspicious or illegal, I'll be on you before you even realize it. I won't stand by and let upper-class bastards take advantage of the little man." Castiel's eyes went wide with shock at the thinly veiled threat. Then, she gave him subtle wink that the cameras and audience wouldn't see. "Even ones as cute as you."

He blushed even brighter, his mouth falling open.

She turned abruptly back to face the audience and cameras, smiling brightly as she gestured to him with an outstretched arm, "Castiel Novak, ladies and gentlemen! The new Head of the ADA!"

The crowd roared in approval.

…

The waiting room of Singer's Salvage was madness. People were hopping up and down, hugging and laughing. Many were on there phones, shouting into them how incredible the interview had been.

How incredible Castiel Novak was.

Dean sat in silence as the crowd buzzed and darted excitedly around him. His eyes stayed on the TV, watching with a small, proud smile as it zoomed over Castiel's blushing face and shy smile.

His heart fluttered and squeezed tightly.

Good job, Cas….

…

In the chaos of the studio audience, at the back, behind the bleachers, a small man in A/V team coveralls and ball cap covering most of his face grinned as he made his way out one of the side exits.

Gabriel cast another quick look back to the stage, where his baby brother was shaking hands with the show's producer and director.

That's my baby bro, he hummed cheerfully, unwrapping a sucker from his pocket and turning to stroll casually out of the building.

…

Tessa and Chuck turned slowly to stare at Teddy with wide eyes.

He smiled warmly, then stood up and returned to his usual booth by the window without a word.

...-^o^-…

As soon as Dean got off work later that afternoon, he drove to town to meet up with Lisa. She had asked him to be present for a doctor's appointment that afternoon. He had agreed immediately, but ever since the Interview that morning Dean hadn't been able to keep his mind on anything else.

Dean stood uncomfortably now in the cramped room, filled with disturbingly accurate depictions of various stages and diagrams of pregnancy. Lisa seemed less fazed than he was, promptly following the doctor's instructions strip off her bottom clothing and lie facing up on the table in the center of the room.

As Lisa and the doctor discussed her health and rubbed some sort of thick goo all over her belly bump, Dean felt his mind returning, as it had been the entire afternoon, back to Castiel's interview.

And Castiel's form-fitting suit that hugged ALL the right places.

And Castiel's blue eyes lit up by the bright lights during the interview.

And Castiel's perfect, kissable lips quirking up slightly into his adorable half-smile.

Dean needed…well, he needed to take care of himself. Specifically, he needed the privacy of a bathroom and the memory of Castiel's flushed face smiling at the camera's.

Or, maybe even... smiling in the stage-lights, wearing a flowing yellow dress.

Dean wasn't exactly sure how he felt about seeing Cas in the bright colored dress, flashing his warm smile at the judges.

His cock, however, was practically on a loud-horn proclaiming its approval. He had been hard since they pulled the image up and Dean spotted those familiar blue orbs. It was seriously wreaking havoc on his already worn and tattered mind.

What? Now he had a thing for drag on top of objects up his ass? What the fuck was happening to him-?!

"Dean...?"

Dean snapped his attention back to the here and now to find both Lisa and the doctor staring expectantly at him.

"Uh…yeah, wh-what was that?" He stuttered, flinching at the doctor's disapproving frown.

Lisa's tentative smile faded, her eyes looking hurt. She stared into his face for a moment before forcing a sad smile and answering, "He says it's a 'boy'."

"Oh." Dean responded. Then the magnitude of the announcement struck him. "Oh! Holy shit! A boy? That- Lisa that's great!" He leaned forward with excitement to place a kiss on her cheek. "A boy! Wow! I can't believe it!"

Lisa smiled, but there was still a hint of sadness and confusion remaining.

…-^o^-…

"Dean, can we…can we talk?"

Dean turned to look at Lisa as they finally exited the clinic. She wouldn't meet his eye and her smile was sad again. Dean felt a small bubble of dread work it's way up his chest to his throat.

"…Yeah. Sure. Um…let's grab a bench." They walked a short ways to the benches sitting along the sidewalk in front of the building.

They sat next to each other as people walked by them hurriedly, some chatting into cell phones, or to each other.

Lisa was quiet for several minutes, her eyes looking at the people passing, but not seeming to see them.

Dean shifted nervously.

She knew something was up. Fuck! He had to stop zoning out around her! And give her more attention. I mean, shit, they were engaged and the kiss on the cheek he had given there in the doctors office had been the first intimate act he had performed since he had held her in the auto shop waiting room and promised to help raise the baby.

…his son. Not 'the baby'. His and Lisa's son.

"Are you in love with someone?"

Dean's heart stopped in his chest at the quiet question. He couldn't turn to look at her, afraid of what his face would show.

"…Hah. What? You're seriously asking me, Dean Winchester, if I'm in love with someone? Come on Lisa. The only woman I could ever love is you. You know that." It came out smooth, almost rehearsed, but left a taste like plastic in his mouth. He reached his hand over to hers, pretending to be interested in people waiting at the nearby bus stop.

He felt her hand turn in and hold his, squeezing it tightly.

"Who is she?"

Dean couldn't help his hand from jerking noticeably.

"Lis, I told you, you're the only girl in my life." He forced his eyes to look ahead as he spoke lightly. At least that wasn't a complete lie….

"You're full of shit, Dean Winchester." Her voice snapped at him, but it was more somber than angry. Dean's eyes turned to hers in surprise and he realized that she was close to tears. "Why aren't you with her, Dean? Is it- Did you leave her because of me? Because you felt like you had to help me?" She sniffed, her free hand shooting up to wipe the first tears as they welled up and threatened to fall.

"Lisa, I- Listen, I want this, okay? I want to be with you. I made the decision. It was…It wasn't gonna work out, with…uh, it's just- it's over now. So stop that." He tugged her arm, pulling her to him closely and grasping her face in his hands for a kiss.

She accepted his kiss, but didn't kiss him back.

After a few seconds, he pulled away, frowning. "Lis?"

"I can't do this, Dean."

"Ca-can't do what?"

"This. Show up with my…my problems and ruin your chances of happiness." She pulled further away from him, taking back her hand and clenching it tightly in her lap.

"Hey! Don't say that. Your baby is not a 'problem'. Don't ever say that! You are doing everything you can to give it- him- the best life that you can. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you do it alone! Lisa," He pulled her hand back, holding tightly as she resisted, then gave up. "You are incredible, and strong, and perfect. You coming back here, to me, that- this is what I want. I want to help you. I could never live with myself knowing that you were trying to do all this on your own. So just…don't. Don't give up on this. We can make it work. I can make it work."

He finished softly, eyes pleading for her to believe him- desperate for her to see that he was being honest.

Lisa was fighting hard to keep the tears back as she shook her head. "I'm not going to destroy your one shot at happiness, Dean. I can tell- you love her. I don't need you admit it. I know you. You can't stop thinking about her. I should…I should never have just dropped myself back into the middle of your life. I just- I just thought that you would be here, waiting for me to come back. Ready to pick back up where we left off at. I shouldn't have been so selfish." She swiped away more tears.

"Lisa, stop. It's over. We- we ended it. For good. Uh, she had to move away for work. It couldn't have lasted."

Dean felt the wrongness of misleading Lisa about Cas. It seemed somehow worse to come so close to the actual truth, but keep the fact that Cas was guy a secret. But then, if Lisa was having so much trouble accepting that Dean had broken up with a girlfriend, how would she handle knowing it was a guy? Another woman in Dean's life was one thing. It could be played off eventually as just another quick fling that he had gotten unusually caught up in.

But a 'man' that he had feelings for? There was no way she would believe that him dating a man was a meaningless fling.

"You didn't break us up, Lis. You just showed up as we were breaking up. I promise. She...she was probably going to dump me and leave to handle her work even if you hadn't shown up, so…." The truth of the words hurt him as he spoke.

Dick had said it, hadn't he? That Cas was the new ADA head. That Castiel wasn't going to keep hanging around 'Nowhere, Kansas'. Especially for a lame-ass mechanic like Dean.

A gentle hand on his arm pulled him from his brooding and he looked over to find Lisa's deep brown eyes watching him with such genuine sympathy that he almost poured out the entire truth to her right there, on a bench in front of dozens of passing strangers.

"You really loved her, didn't you?" She whispered sadly, holding his gaze as she searched his eyes for the answer.

He knew she saw the truth before he even said the words, but he couldn't keep the secret buried inside him any longer. It felt like he was the only person in all of Lawrence that was in denial about his feelings. Like everyone else could take one look at him and see it written on his forehead, but he was insisting that if he couldn't see it, then it wasn't really there.

But he knew it was.

He felt the weight that had been building up inside him over the last two days drop off of him, finally, as he admitted more to himself than to her, "…yes."

"Oh, Dean-" And she was pulling him into a tight, warm hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

"Not your fault." Dean murmured from where his face was pressed tightly into her warm neck. "Wouldn't have worked out. H- She's gone now. Took off in the middle of the night. All I got was a- a damn note about discretion." He pulled himself from her soft arms, ignoring the alarmed looks from the people passing by them.

A guy practically crying in a pregnant woman's arms right in front of a Prenatal Clinic probably looked bad...

He held her arms tight, meeting her brown eyes and almost begging, "I can't lose you now, too. Please, Lis. I need you to stay. I can- I can't deal with another person walking out of my life right now. Please stay."

"Dean…" She hesitated, staring into his pleading face. "I can't live a lie. I thought I could. I really thought that we could do this, but… this changes everything. If you are in love with her, then you should fight to be with her. Not staying with me."

"Lis, I'm telling you, it's over. We- we'll never be able to get back together now. It's done. She…she made that really clear. Please, just- don't cancel the engagement, okay? I just need a little time. Please, Lis- you're all I've got left…."

They stared at one another in silence, holding tightly to each other. The rest of the world passed them by, but they kept their eyes locked onto each other's.

At last, Lisa's spoke, a hopeless smile turning up the corners of her mouth as her sad, doe eyes stared deeply into his. "I guess we'll just have to be lonely together, huh?"

Dean pulled her into a tight hug, mumbling a heart-felt thank you.

…-^o^-…

It was just as they were leaving the parking lot that Dean got the call.

His caller ID said it was Sam, so Dean pulled into an empty spot real quick to take it.

"Hey what's-" He began.

'THAT CAT IS CRAZY DEAN- LIKE LEGITIMATELY OUT TO KILL ME!'

Lisa eyes widened as Sam's voice shrieked loudly through the phone.

Dean frowned. "Sam, what the he-"

'HE'S OUT DEAN! THE DAMN CAGE BROKE AND I CAME HOME AND HE WAS WAITING FOR ME!'

"Sam calm the fuck down! You said Lucifer's out? Shit, man. He'll be fine. He's harmless."

'No, Dean! He is NOT harmless. He came at me as soon as I walked in the door. Went straight for my head, like I was wearing catnip shampoo! I'm hiding in the bathroom. I can hear him- outside the damn door, Dean! He's fucking crazy! It's like the damn Apocalypse over here!'

"What-? He's never attacked anyone's head befo-" His eyes fell on Lisa's worried face, remembering that that the small cat had acted strange around her, too. What was different about Sam and Lisa…? And suddenly the pieces all snapped into place. "Oh, shit! Hair! Sam- he likes hair! He must be going after you because your hair is so fucking long!"

'…Are you shitting me?! Hair? How the-'

Suddenly, the faint sound of Jess's voice was calling out in the background. 'Sam? Babe, I'm back- Oh! Hi there, Lu Lu. Did they finally let you out-'

'JESS-NOOOO!' Sam's voice screamed out through the line.

'Sam-?! What-?! Where are yo- OUCH-! Wh-?! OW-! AAAHHHHHH! SAM-!'

'JESS I'M COMING HOLD ON!'

"NO SAM! LEAVE HER!" Dean shouted into the phone as more screams filtered through.

Too late. The thumping and sharp sound of static was followed by the crash of a door being thrown open.

The muffled sounds of shouting and terrified shrieks could be heard on the other end.

"SAM!? SAM?! Damn it all-!" Dean threw the car into drive, Lisa holding onto anything she could grasp, her face a mask of horror.

"Dean- what-?!" She asked, wide-eyed and panicking.

Dean's eyes never left the road as they barreled towards the house at high speeds.

"Lucifer's escaped." He gritted out slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up: Unexpected guests!
> 
> Did Castiel sink the company?
> 
> The company spies reveal themselves. What do they want from Cas?!


	31. Bad Guys and Blackmail

"Fuck you, Sammy!"

"Me?! I'm being the reasonable one here! He tried to kill me and Jess!"

"That's bullshit! He was just trying to eat your hair. He weighs like six pounds, dude! And you've had it in for him since I brought him home! Admit it!" Dean scowled at his brother.

They had been in a hollering match since Dean arrived home to find Sam and Jess taking shelter in Sam's room. Lucifer had stationed himself patiently on the floor outside Sam's door, only rising from his post when Dean appeared.

Sam was sporting angry red scratch lines all over his arms and face. Jess was in considerably better shape, but still had several scratches of her own. From Sam's hysterical ranting and the way he was babying her, you would have thought a few scratches on Jess's arms was the end of the damn world.

Lucifer's cage was totaled on the living room floor. After about thirty minutes of Dean holding the squirming animal, they finally discovered a way that the small kitten could be around the group without risking their safety.

"Fuck you, Dean! I am NOT going to wear my damn hair up like this for the rest of my life just because you have a psychotic cat!" Sam pointed furiously to his hair, which, with the help of Jess and Lisa, was pulled back into a neat, tight bun. Both of the the women were sporting similar hairstyles.

The result was unmistakable- Lucifer was now flopped on his back in Jess' lap, mewling and purring madly as he nuzzled his head against her warm hands.

Lisa and Jess were hooked on the cuteness over-load almost as soon as Lucifer's personality did its 180 shift. They were treating the little guy like he hadn't just turned back to Dr. Jekyll after a terrifying episode as Mr. Hyde.

Sam wasn't as easily wooed.

"He has to go, Dean. I get that you are attached to him, but he's clearly insane!" Sam pointed at the kitten and all eyes followed his motion. Lucifer's tiny rabbit-like legs were kicking uncontrollably as Lisa was leaning forward to scratch behind his twitching ears.

Dean turned back to Sam with an eye-roll. "Yeah, Sam. Insane. Clearly."

"He's really not all that bad, Sam." Jess intervened carefully. Sam snorted incredulously. "I mean, yeah, he's got a pretty weird quirk with the hair-thing. But, maybe we could train him out of it. You know, slowly."

Sam looked at her as if she was under some sort of brainwash. "Jess…I-I thought I was going to lose you today…." He blushed a little at the admission.

Jess flashed him a warm smile. "I'm fine, Sam. We both are. And you know how important Lu Lu is to Dean." She said the last part quietly, her eyes flashing to Lisa.

Lisa stared at the group for a moment, confused. Then, suddenly she seemed to realize something. She turned to Dean with huge brown eyes. "Oh! Was he- was Lu your girlfriend's cat, Dean?"

Sam and Jess's eyes widened, looking between Lisa and Dean. Dean sputtered uselessly before finally nodding, sending Sam a warning glance when his brother suddenly hissed.

"That's explains it then! You never really seemed like a cat person to me." She turned to Jess with an explanation. "Dean told me all about his last girlfriend. She sounds like a really nice person." Lisa smiled weakly as she tried to appear interested in petting Lucifer.

Sam and Jess shot Dean twin-dirty looks. He flushed and shrugged. The gesture seemed to piss Sam off even more.

"Dean. Can I have a word with you? In the living room?" Sam asked quietly in the uncomfortable silence.

Dean frowned at him, but squared his shoulders and turned stiffly. Sam following closely behind.

Just a few moments after the sliding doors shut, there was the sudden unmistakable sounds of a brawl erupting.

Jess stared wide-eyed at the closed doors as several loud thumps were followed by the sound of glass shattering.

There was no way 'her' Sam was actually 'fighting'… right? Super-sweet, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly-Sam?

She turned to Lisa, who was frowning as she continued petting Lucifer, but didn't seem as shocked by the behavior. Jess turned back to the closed doors.

Apparently this was a side of Sam she wasn't familiar with. It was kind of alarming.

And just a pinch hot…

"Jess…?" Lisa asked quietly as the racket in the next room seemed to become even louder.

Jess had a hard time pulling her attention away from violent sounds. "Uh, yeah, Lisa? What's up?"

"What was she like?"

Jess's head snapped to look at Lisa who was watching her carefully with sad eyes.

She liked Lisa. They had only just met the day before, but they were already fast friends. She could see why Dean had such a hard time after the woman left so many months ago. "Oh. Well, she was…she was nice."

"I mean, how was she with Dean. Like," Lisa played with her bracelet distractedly as Lucifer gnawed on it, "were they really so good together? He seems so hung up on her. What was so…special about her?" Instead of jealous, Lisa's voice sounded almost wounded.

Jess searched for a quick escape, anything that could get her out of this conversation. She sucked at lying. The best she could try was to stick as close to the truth as possible. "Well, um, they just kind of hit it off immediately. I mean, they barely even spoke when they first met at the garage. Then it all started happening so fast." She leaned in closer, meeting Lisa's eye and speaking truthfully, "To be honest, we were all pretty shocked. It was almost too perfect, how they clicked. Like all they could see was each other, and the rest of the world didn't matter. I guess…" Jess tried to explain as carefully as possible, "I guess, we all knew that it was going run into a roadblock somewhere down the road. We just didn't think it would be so abrupt and final…."

Lisa sighed quietly, just as the sound of splintering wood came from the other room, causing Jess to flinch. It was surreal to her that they could be having such a normal conversation while Dean and Sam were next door apparently killing each other.

Lucifer was also watching the door closely with his sharp green eyes, his tail twitching with excitement.

"I just don't understand it." Lisa finally stated, unfazed by the racket. "If they were so in love, then why would they break it off without fighting to keep each other? Dean said she moved away for work, like, overnight. Why didn't he just go after her?"

The sound of more shattering sounded from the other room, and Jess had a suspicion that it was the vase that sat on the stand by the front door. She tried to focus on the conversation. "Well, I guess they still weren't really settled into the relationship. I mean, they moved really fast in just three weeks. I don't know how much they really talked about their future together in that time."

"…Sorry- did you- did you say 'three weeks'? They only knew each other for 'three weeks'?!" Lisa was staring at Jess dumbfounded by the information.

A strangled shout was followed by a sudden wheezing cough and several heavy thumps.

Jess smiled and shrugged helplessly as Lisa gaped at her. Of course Dean would leave off important little facts like that. The jerk. "Um, yeah…?"

"Wha-? Who the hell is this chick?!" Lisa asked in total shock. "You're telling me Dean is hung up on a woman he only knew for three weeks? My God!" She leaned back in her chair, resting her hand on her rounded stomach, her face turning into a hostile pout. "She must have been incredible. What was it? Great body? Or was she one of those cutesy, shy types?" She looked at Jess expectantly.

Jess's brow furrowed as she tried to come up with the right answer. "Um, well, both, I guess? But, that's not why Dean liked her, really." Lisa raised her eyebrows disbelievingly. "No really! He, uh, wasn't inclined to like her just based on her, er, 'looks'." Oh, boy. Jess was really digging herself into a hole here.

Lisa gave her a confused frown. "Huh?"

Jess struggled to avoid flat out telling Lisa that Castiel was a man. "Well, I mean, she wasn't really Dean's, uh, usual type."

"Great body and cute personality? Check and check. Sounds exactly like Dean's type, Jess. Trust me. He went for sexy teases sometimes, but he was never serious about them. What about her wasn't Dean's type?"

The low sound of hissing voices and muffled grunts continued from the next room as the silence stretched between Lisa and Jess.

"Ahh…Okay. Don't freak!" Jess bit her lip as she glanced at the closed door separating them from Dean and Sam, as if Dean's spidey-senses were going to alert him that she was about to confess his secret to Lisa. The other woman shifted forward, nodding eagerly. "She…she was actually a-"

The booming sound of an angry voice in the living room rattled the entire house, causing both women, and Lucifer, to jump in surprise.

…

"You're a little punk-bitch, Dean!" Sam had his older brother in the sleeper hold, but was losing his grip each time Dean's elbow dug into his sternum.

"You-don't-know-shit-Sam!" Dean growled, punctuating each word with more elbow jabs until his brother was forced to release his neck to protect his mid-section. Dean gasped in air quickly before rolling over to grab his little brother's hair and dig the heel of his shoe into his ribs. A photo hanging on the wall fell, landing hard on Sam's shoulder.

Sam grabbed Dean by his shirt, jerking him forward to shove him head-first into the wall, sending another photograph falling. "How can you lie to the woman you are going to fucking marry, dumbass?!"

Dean gripped Sam's hand that was holding his shirt, digging his nails in deep. He kicked backwards with his right leg as hard as he could, smiling victoriously when it made contact and Sam crumpled behind him. Dean tasted the metallic bitterness of blood, but ignored it to spin around and launch himself at Sam while he had another opening. He gritted out, "She would think we were serious, you fuck-face, then freak out and leave me!"

Sam caught his brother's hand as it swung fast at his already aching jaw, using the leverage to swing his legs up and send Dean flipping over him and into the coffee table with a loud crack and crash of breaking wood. The table collapsed heavily under Dean's weight. Sam rolled painfully onto his feet, staggering to stand above where Dean lay on his back wincing in pain. Sam growled down at him angrily, "That's what this is about?! You idiot! You two WERE serious and Lisa SHOULD leave! You shouldn't marry her if you love-UMPH!"

Dean swung his leg out and kicked Sam hard in the shin, almost at his kneecap, sending the tall man falling hard onto the splintered wood beside him. Sam flailed as he fell, landing ungracefully, already swinging at Dean again.

Sam ended up with Dean crushed beneath him and his brother's leg twisted at an unnatural angle. Dean, however, had managed to get the cord of the side-table lamp wrapped twice around his brother's neck, pulling it tightly so that Sam's face was almost blue. Sam torqued on Dean's leg harder, forcing Dean to let out a howl of pain, but he held on to the cord, refusing to let it go.

"Ahhh! Just fucking give up, bitch!" Dean barely managed as he bit back another yell.

"Admit –egh!- you love Cas- cough!-, jerk!" Sam choked out breathlessly.

"Mind your –Ahhh!- own damn business!"

"Tell Lisa- ack!- the fucking truth!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE!?"

Both men froze at the sound of the booming voice, then turned their heads to look up.

Their father was towering above them, looking for all the world like he was about to smite them both on the spot. Their mother was standing in the open frame of the front door, her mouth a thin line of anger.

"…my cherry wood coffee table…." Mary muttered, her eyes narrowed with the promise of punishment.

Suddenly, Sam pitched forward, and Dean realized that he was still holding the cord tightly around his brother's neck. He loosened it quickly, as Sam's groping hands tried to help pull it away. He gasped in air desperately, pale face laying on the floor for several seconds.

"I am going to LOVE hearing the explanation for this," their father stated, voice low and furious.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened and two worried heads appeared, taking in the scene.

"Oh, hello Mary…. John…." Lisa spoke up, her voice nervous.

Jess stared at the wreckage of the room, then Sam's gasping form on the floor, then at Sam's mom and dad, her eyes wide.

Not the best circumstances to meet the parents under.

Mary's face immediately shifted into a beaming smile and she sang out, "Lisa! Oh my goodness! Ellen told us about the baby! You look-"

Before she could finish her sentence six pounds of black fur and claws launched itself over the back of the sofa straight into the long blond tresses of her hair.

Chaos re-erupted.

…-^o^-...

"It's a fucking madhouse out there!" Dick stated incredulously. He had just returned from checking with security about the status of the latest press team that had managed to break into the ADA building. "Security has posted sentries in the galley. Looks like that's how the last group made it inside. Damn it! This is just absurd. These last ones were dressed like ninjas for god's sake!"

The thirty or so other people in the top floor office nodded their heads in agreement, turning back to watch the large screen TV's intently.

Castiel was sitting in a chair by his secretaries' desks, staring at the closest television, which was on the local news channel. The footage was from a helicopter's aerial cameras. It showed the outside of the ADA building entrance down below, surrounded by mobs of reporters, news vans and police barricades. As if on cue, the muffled sounds of helicopter rotors hummed just outside the far windows of the office.

The broadcast flashed back to a handsome news anchor and his pretty co-anchor.

'It seems like things have died down just a bit outside the San Diego ADA offices this afternoon, but still quite the zoo, right Anne?'

'That's right, Bob. The frenzy began earlier today, when the new ADA Head, Castiel Novak, appeared on Cathy Campbell's Morning Show. In just under thirty minutes, it was revealed that not only were Mr. Novak's father and brother missing, but that there is apparently a scandal about missing money within the ADA. Specific amounts were not mentioned, but many fear that the losses could be enough to cripple the multi-billion dollar company!'

'And that's not all, Anne. Also revealed during the interview, is the fact that the new ADA Leader, Mr. Castiel Novak, is apparently bi-sexual. The news has caused massive shake-ups in both the conservative and liberal communities. It was compounded by video footage of the Mr. Novak apparently dressed as a 'female' beauty pageant contestant.'

Castiel cringed at the mention of his expulsion from the so-called 'closet' on live television. He was still reeling from the shock of the interview.

Had he really said all those things? It seemed like another unfortunate bastard had been speaking with confidence to Cathy Campbell that morning. It certainly couldn't have been him.

He looked over to the many desks, which were being manned by people hectically answering phones. Every time a phone was put down, it seemed to immediately begin ringing again. Apparently, the calls were ranging from everything between hate-rants from the Westboro Baptist Community, to the prominent leaders of the Gay Rights movement congratulating him.

It seemed like the entire world had seen him on the TV and wanted to share their opinions with him- good or bad. It was making Castiel sick to his stomach. This entire day had worn him down until he felt bruised and raw. He had thought that at least after the interview he would be able to relax a little.

Instead, his world had imploded.

It wasn't all bad, but just the fact that the world knew of him and was talking about him was enough to make him want to curl up in a corner and wait out the storm.

A brown bag was suddenly breaking his view of the news report.

He looked up to see Dick standing beside him, watching him nervously as he held out bag.

Castiel reached up and took the bag, confused. An incredible smell was wafted up from it and Castiel mouth watered.

"It's, uh, well, it's a burger. I sent Alfie out to pick it up for you." Dick stated, looking uncomfortable as he waited for Castiel to say something.

Castiel blinked at him for a moment, before realizing what he had said. Instantly, he was ripping into the bag and pulling out a wrapped burger. "Thank you, Dick." His tired voice was filled with genuine gratitude.

"Yeah, no problem. Heard you like them…" Dick muttered, watching in a stunned silence- mingled with both horror and fascination- as Castiel began eating with ferocious enthusiasm.

"And where, pray tell, did you hear that?" Balthazar's voice asked quietly from directly behind Dick. He jumped, then cursed himself silently for the weakness.

"Don't you worry about that. And why the hell are you up here? I thought all the big-time exec's were meeting in Zachariah's office right now."

Balthazar smirked at Dick's bitchy tone. "Wasn't invited, as it were. Seems a lot of people weren't. I take it they didn't ask you to be there, either?" Dick huffed, refusing to answer the question. Balthazar grinned, "You look tired, Dickie. Not sleeping well?"

Dick flinched again, turning quickly to meet Balthazar's knowing grin. "How-?" His eyes glanced to Castiel who was thoroughly engrossed with his burger. "Tha-that's none of your business," he stated stiffly.

"Would you like it to be?" Balthazar asked sweetly.

Dick stared at him wide-eyed as he stuttered, horrified, "Wha-? No! Stay the hell away from my room- and me, you shameless pervert!"

As Balthazar chuckled cheerfully, Dick pointedly turned to watch as Michael walked in. All eyes stopped watching the TVs and turned with hushed fear and excitement as Michael took up a position in the midst of them all.

"I've just received the latest public opinion poll results." His stony voice filled the office. The room was dead silent, except for the unanswered rings of the many telephones.

Michael's voice was clipped as he stated bluntly, "We went from thirty-two percent positive opinion, to seventy-four percent after the interview this morning."

Nearly ten seconds passed as the information sunk in. When it did, the room seemed to explode.

The secretaries seated at the computers near him were the first to react, Charlie's joyful shriek in particular rang loudly through the hollow silence of the large room, seeming to unfreeze everyone else.

Castiel was suddenly ambushed by the surge of people rushing him to pat his back or hug him. He felt like he was going to suffocate. He tried uselessly to protect the last remaining bites of his burger from being crushed, his mind still not able to process the sudden news.

They went UP in public opinion?

How could that be possible?

It was a proven fact that homosexuality in big business was an instant death-sentence. Not to mention the money scandal and disappearances.

And seventy-four percent? That was unheard of any time. Most companies averaged forty-five percent positive public opinion on their best days.

"Alright! Alright! Let the man breath, for God's sake!" Balthazar's jovial voice carried over the crowd. Castiel realized that both he and Dick were trying to clear people away from him.

Michael's voice spoke up, as well. "That's enough, everyone. You can congratulate Mr. Novak tomorrow. As for now, we have a company that needs to be run and plenty of work to do. Get back to your desks and get to it."

The large group dispersed slowly, chatting and laughing as they returned to their normal work. The mood in the office was considerably lighter.

Castiel stood up, hoping to escape to the privacy of his office.

The new door had been installed earlier that morning. It meant two things to Castiel.

One, that he would finally be able to have some normalcy in his job.

And two, that they trusted him not to try and 'Pull a Gabriel' by making an escape out the window.

Regardless of how he interpreted it, he was grateful when he was able to shut the door to his office and finally have some privacy.

"Hello, sir!"

Castiel jumped and opened his eyes from where he was leaning against the closed door to find Alfie standing next to his desk, smiling happily. "I've brought all the latest paperwork from accounting. I thought you'd like to read over them."

"Alfie…" Castiel began, ready to finally confront the man about his abrupt appearances in places where he isn't expected.

But then he thought about that a little more closely. Technically, Alfie was an intern. Apparently he was Naomi's intern, which was no small task. He was supposed to be everywhere at once, standing by to be tasked and running errands. How could he reprimand someone for being TOO good at their job?

He frowned to himself as he sat down at his desk and began reading over the first sheets of paperwork. It was strange, now that he thought about it. Naomi was his father's personal secretary. Did that mean Alfie was interning for her job? Why else would he be working at such a high level within the company? After a moment Castiel asked, "Alfie, how long have you been Naomi's intern?"

"Oh, well, I'm not actually Naomi's intern, sir. I just kind of hang around her lately. But, I've been with the company about five years now." Alfie stated cheerfully, but Castiel was only half-listening. His attention was suddenly focused on the paperwork in front of him. The words 'Lawrence' and 'Kansas' had caught his eye.

"…Alfie?"

"Yes, sir?"

"What the hell is this?" He held up the paperwork, but he already knew the answer before he asked.

Alfie glanced at it quickly and answered, "That is the list of offices that we will be shutting down immediately due to the budget cuts."

Castiel could feel his anger rising quickly, but he fought to keep it controlled. This wasn't Alfie's doing. He couldn't shoot the messenger. "Alfie. Who the HELL authorized this? I know for a fact that this is the first I'm hearing of it." His voice was low.

"Oh, well, sir, the decisions for which offices will be closing were made by a select group of executives led by Zachariah. In fact, they're meeting right now, I believe, to discuss other budgeting measures for the future."

Castiel was already halfway out the door, with Alfie on his heels, still speaking, "I've happened to overhear a few of their ideas, sir. Seems like they already have some sort of plan in place that could make up for the missing money. I'm not sure exactly what it is, though."

Naomi and the other two secretaries began to stand as Castiel stomped angrily by them, but he waved them down, and bit out angrily, "Naomi, send security to Zachariah's office immediately." Then he disappeared, leaving them to stare after him as he took the stairs down to Zachariah's offices.

…O_O…

Zachariah's office was encompassed by floor to ceiling window-walls, allowing people to see directly inside. It was luxurious to the point of being almost vulgar. He decorated the large space with awards, trophies, and expensive statues, which he kept in meticulous order and cleanliness.

Castiel barely had time to register the dozen or so people sitting inside, and the high-pitched whine of Zachariah's secretary trying to stop him, before he pushed through the door and interrupted the meeting.

Zachariah stopped speaking abruptly, flashing a patient smile at Castiel while the rest of group stared at him.

Castiel wasted no time with niceties. He made straight for Zachariah who stood by the desk. He held up the documents and demanded, "Did you authorize the shut-down of the Lawrence Office?"

There was a moment of heavy silence before Zachariah sighed and answered, "Castiel, I really hoped we could wait until our little meeting tomorrow to discuss all of this."

Castiel scowled and snapped, "All of this? You knowingly by-passed me to authorize the closure of three ADA offices without my approval. That's not exactly something we can chat about over brunch." Castiel bit the words out, ignoring the executives who were seated, watching the argument. "What the hell makes you think you can get away with something like this? All of you!" He turned his head briefly to glare at the assembled group, before returning his attention to Zachariah.

At that same moment, Uriel, the head of security, passed outside the large windows and entered the room.

"Mr. Novak?"

"Uriel, Zachariah is going to be placed on temporary confinement to his suite- starting immediately- while I have a team investigate his recent activities in the company. Please escort him down to his suite and make sure he stays there."

Uriel didn't move.

Castiel forced his eyes from Zachariah's smiling face to where Uriel stood by the door.

"Uriel?" Castiel asked, a stomach-sinking awareness dawning on him slowly. He glanced at the many smirking faces of the executives sitting at the long table. Someone snickered. "What the hell is this? A mutiny?!" He suddenly wished he had brought a lot more back up. This was it. Awareness creeped in slowly but forcefully as he took in the many sharp eyes and grins. This was them. The spies- all of them- meeting to overthrow the company- HIS company. And he was standing stupidly in front of them all, waving a piece of paper in the leader's face.

AND they had the head of security on their side, apparently.

Yes, back up would have been a good decision.

Shit.

"Castiel, please, calm yourself. There's no need to get upset. We are all just looking out for the best interests of the company." Castiel turned back to him and hissed angrily under his breath, but Zachariah continued. "We have been working hard to come up with a solution to the company's financial problems, and we think we have one. Of course, we'll need your help, as the new ADA Head."

"If you have a recommendation, then I expect you to submit it to the entire Board, the correct way. Not through shady back-door dealings." Castiel practically growled.

Zachariah frowned at him and sighed. "I really didn't want to discuss this here. But, you're obviously upset." He walked over to his desk and pulled out several large manila envelopes and placed them on top of it.

Castiel stared at the folders, his mind suddenly flashing to the most recent manila envelope he had received.

The one with the photos of him and Dean.

He didn't move as Zachariah took the top one and opened it, pulling out the contents as he spoke conversationally.

"We weren't sure about you, you know. I mean, hell, after your dad and brother both split right after they opened their packets, we were pretty worried you would do the same. But, you're a tough one Castiel. I always knew it. That's what I like about you!" He held out a large stack of photos. "Here's a few new ones- hot off the press today. I thought you might like to see how your lover-boy's been doing since you left.

Castiel willed his body forward to snatch the photos out of the smirking man's hands.

Fuck.

The very first photo was of Dean. He was sitting on a bench by a sidewalk.

And he wasn't alone.

He was hugging a woman with long, glossy black hair. The intimacy of the moment was obvious.

That had to be Lisa.

Dean's 'not-ex' ex-girlfriend.

No. It was fiancé now, wasn't it?

The woman who was having Dean's child.

No wonder Dean hadn't called.

Castiel tried not to let the pain show on his face. He didn't bother to look through the rest of the photos. He couldn't let Zachariah or the others see his weakness.

Castiel looked back up at Zachariah's expectant face. "I guess you didn't get the word, but Dean and I broke up. So, this," he waved the photos angrily as he turned and glared at all the faces watching him closely, "doesn't mean shit to me. And, in case you missed the interview this morning, the whole world knows that I like men, so the photos of me and Dean together aren't going to help you out either."

He turned back to Zachariah again, but the older man was still smiling smugly and shaking his head. "Castiel, Castiel. You can't bullshit a bullshitter. I perused through those steamy photos. And I've got to say- phew! Some of them are down right incendiary! But, you are completely missing the whole point of those pictures."

"I already told you," Castiel frowned, becoming confused by the man's complacency, "These photos are useless against me. Everyone already knows I like men. And I already know about Dean's fiancée. Your blackmail scheme has failed."

Zachariah grinned at the rest of the group before turning his look on Castiel. His next question completely threw Castiel off. "Did you see all those paparazzi outside the offices?" Unsure where Zachariah was going with this, Castiel just nodded slowly. "That's why we had to have all the higher-ups hunker down inside the building. It's safer. Tougher for the blood-thirsty mobs to get to us all. Hell, even the normal office workers are being ambushed when they try to leave. All those reporters out there are desperate to get information about the company- about you. They'll hound anyone mercilessly if they think they can get information. And don't get me started on all the hate groups that just want to find some way to get at you- make you hurt for just being- well, yourself. It's crazy how insane some of them are! It's a mighty good thing you're tucked away safely in here, with loads of security personnel to keep you safe."

He turned back around, eyebrows raised, and asked innocently, "Do you think your mechanic boyfriend would fare as well if all those people suddenly showed up in his front yard? Hassled his pretty little pregnant fiancée? His friends and co-workers? I bet the world would love to know all about the former lover of the rich and powerful Castiel Novak."

Despite his best efforts, Castiel heard a small whimper escape his throat.

He could already see it- the images appearing uncontrollably, flashing through his mind.

The small city of Lawrence would be turned upside down- and Dean? Dean's face would be on every TV screen in world. The hate groups would go after him. And the reporters. And the tabloids. They would all attack him day and night, ruthlessly.

His perfect life- the one Castiel left so that he could have- would be shattered, permanently.

He would forever be known as the gay ex-lover of the ADA Head.

Castiel could feel bile rising in the back of his throat. The photos were undeniable, but even they wouldn't be necessary. All it would take was just a single mention of Dean Winchester's name to the press and his life would be abruptly ruined forever.

Castiel was powerless.

He had no way out of this.

If he didn't do what Zachariah and his cronies wanted, then Dean would be exposed to the entire world.

And it would all be Castiel's fault.

"Now-don't be confused. These," Zachariah waved his hand toward the photos Castiel was clutching tightly, "They're just a little added incentive. A warning, if you will. I think the more immediate problem you should concern yourself with, as the new leader of this company, is all that missing money. And what would happen if it were to 'remain missing'. Permanently. Let me tell you, three small office closures are NOTHING compared to the hit this company would take if that money isn't...hah, 'found'."

"W-what do you want from me...?" Castiel asked weakly, eyes shifting helplessly as he stared down at the closure paperwork and photos.

Zachariah's smiled widened. "We can talk all about it at brunch tomorrow. A good friend of mine will be there. Big stuff in the works, Castiel. Huge opportunities. And as I said, you have a very important role to play."

…-^o^-…

After Castiel had retreated silently and the last of his 'chosen' executives had finally dispersed, Zachariah took a seat at his desk. He huffed a victorious breath as he brushed the dust off one of his many trophies.

Another win.

Another step forward after several very annoying setbacks.

Theodore Novak's sudden disappearance had been a blow, but nothing too difficult to handle. They didn't need the old bastard. Hell, he was a rock. They would have had a rough time manipulating him into anything. It was probably for the best that he chose to make a run for it.

Gabriel Novak's escape, however, was a nasty little surprise. And out the damn window, of all things! That little shit was nothing but a grade-A pain in Zachariah's ass. A damn wildcard. Still, they hadn't expected him to shimmy out the damn window after planting the photos for him to find. If Uriel hadn't spotted the folder and stashed it that day while everyone else was distracted, then they could have been found out. Everything they had worked for- wasted.

But, now…now they had Castiel Novak under their thumb. And even better, they had the perfect leverage to keep him in line.

Dean Winchester was their godsend. Just by the way that he had reacted after busting into the meeting, it was clear.

The mechanic was Castiel Novak's weakness.

By this time tomorrow, their plan would be unfolding beautifully.

Zachariah leaned back in his large, cushioned chair, allowing the excitement of his impending victory wash over him. "I think I deserve a celebratory drink."

"Scotch or gin, sir?"

Zachariah flew from his chair spinning to face the drink bar a the back of the room.

"Y-you!? When the hell-?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?!"

From his seat in the back corner, Alfie smiled brightly. "Oh, well, I came in just behind Mr. Novak, sir."

Zachariah stared blankly at the intern, searching his memory. Had he followed Castiel in? Was he listening the whole time? After a few more seconds, Zachariah regained his bearing and asked carefully, "And what, exactly, did you hear?"

Alfie blinked several times, his head giving a curious bob forward. The silence was weighing Zachariah down.

Alfie wasn't in the plan. Hell, he could ruin it all single-handedly. They hadn't even bothered to find leverage on the young man. He was another damn wild card.

Zachariah briefly considered the practicality of having Uriel 'handle' the irritating intern.

Alfie seemed to think hard before finally answering, "Well, thir-er, SIR, apparently Raphael met a very friendly 'woman of the night', and he is not happy abou-about thish, uh, curfew because it ith preventing him from visiting with her a-gain." He whispered the words slurrily, as if it was a huge secret.

Zachariah frowned.

"Oh-oh-! Annnd I believe Mr. Met'tron agrees with Mr. Novak's taste in men." he held his finger up as if he had anticipated Zachariah interrupting him before he could explain, "He made it very-ly clear to several others that he would- cough (he actually said the word 'cough', Zachariah noted)- enjoy having Mr. Roman AND Mr. Winchestercher sharing his bed." Alfie winked, his head bobbing again, like he was struggling to hold it up.

After a few more moments of silence, in which Alfie just blinked his watery eyes helpfully at him, Zachariah chose his words more tactfully. "What I meant to ask, Alfie, is if you happened to follow what 'Mr. Novak and I' were discussing... over 'here', by my desk." He pointed to the ground where he was standing.

Alfie frowned and shook his head. "Ahhh... Nope. Sorry, thi-SIR." He hiccuped, then giggled as he covered his mouth.

That's when Zachariah spotted the tumbler in his hand. "You little-! Have you been drinking from MY bar?"

"Oh. Well. About that. Ummm… Yes. I was pa-pa-parched. Bu-sy day, ya know!" He nodded his head for emphasis, then seemed to lose his balance briefly. "I thought the clear stuff was really tasty water." He raised his hand to his mouth and stage-whispered, "It wasn't."

"That would be vodka, Alfie." Zachariah sized him up, debating whether or not he was really safe from Alfie spilling what he had seen and heard in the meeting.

"Alfie."

"Sir!"

"Leave." The young intern sat the tumbler down clumsily on the side of the bar, and after two tries, managed to stand on his wobbly legs. As the man passed by him to exit, Zachariah caught his arm and warned lowly, "And it would behoove you to NEVER speak of what was discussed in this room."

He released the dumbly-smiling man's arm and watched as he stumbled out of the office, past the windows, and on down the hall.

Once the man was out of sight, Zachariah stepped over to the phone on his desk and dialed Uriel.

'Sir?'

"We may have had a close call today with that damn intern. He managed to slip into the meeting just now."

'The weird one? Naomi's assistant or whatever? You want me to take care of him, sir?' Uriel's voice never even changed tones at the mention of harming the intern.

"…No. Not yet. He's hardly a threat. Plus, he has his hands in everything around here. His disappearance would be... noticed. But I want some leverage on him. Pull up his records and see what you can find. I want to know exactly who that young man is and what his job is at this company."

'Understood, sir.'

…-^o^-…

When the door to the stairwell shut firmly behind him, Alfie straightened up. He proceeded on steady feet up to his assigned cubicle on the top floor.

Nobody looked twice at him. It was like he was invisible.

Which was the point.

When he arrived at his desk, he picked up the phone.

He needed to give his boss the latest update. This new development only confirmed their worst fears:

Castiel was going to be used as a Zachariah's pawn.

…-^o^-…

The initial horror of Lucifer's surprise attack had been quickly countered by Mary's stunningly fast reaction time. She had the wiggling kitten by the scruff of his neck in the blink of an eye.

To everyone's surprise, she stared at the kitten intently for several seconds before gushing loudly, "This cute little critter must be Lucifer! Ellen was saying that Dean took in a cat. I thought she must have been joking, but I guess not. What a sweetie you are, too!" Lucifer hissed weakly, eyes locked on the woman's blond mane. Mary just chuckled and murmured, "I see somebody needs a wittle-bitty attitude adjustment, huh? Well, we'll just have to work on that later."

Then, she walked the squirming animal over to the bathroom and gently tossed him inside before shutting the door. She turned around, clapping her hands together. "Now! I have been dying to meet Jess and see Lisa again. How about you ladies join me and John in the kitchen while Dean and Sam get this mess cleaned up?"

The two couples were too stunned by her deft handling of the cat to respond immediately.

She just smiled and ushered the speechless women into the kitchen. John followed her, turning before he shut the sliding doors to say, "This room better be inspection ready within the hour or we're going to start talking about rent, boys."

The threat had the desired effect, both men immediately hopping into action, despite their sore bodies.

"This is all your damn fault, you know." Sam hissed as he carefully picked up the shattered pieces of the broken table lamp.

Dean didn't snap back.

Sam turned to look at his brother. He was slowly collecting the splintered wood of the coffee table, his eyes darting nervously to the closed doors.

"Hey. You listening? I said this is all your fucking fault. You should never have lied to Lisa. Then none of this would have happened."

Dean didn't even look at him. His face was a mask of concentration.

Just as Sam was beginning to get uncomfortable with his brother's silence, Dean looked up at him and asked with a cracking voice, "Ho-how much do you think they know?"

Sam paused, then realized what was worrying Dean. He glanced at the closed door to the kitchen and hissed, "Seriously? Ellen probably told them everything. You know how close she is with Mom."

"Even…even about…"

Sam huffed, annoyed. "For God's sake, Dean. I don't know if Ellen told them about Castiel. She probably did. You weren't exactly keeping it a secret at the time."

He felt a sharp stab of guilt as Dean's eyes widened in horror.

"Dude. Just relax, okay. She probably told them about the break up. Hell, she definitely told them about Lisa and the baby. Maybe they know not to mention him around Lisa, too."

Dean turned to stare at the doors again.

He prayed Sam was right. He had completely forgotten about Ellen's close connection with their mother.

He was planning on telling them about Cas…

...eventually.

He just hadn't been sure how to approach the topic. Telling his parents that he was dating a man was NOT a conversation that he wanted to have over the phone. He had terrifying images of his mother passing out on the other end of the line. And his father yelling that Dean was disowned.

Worst case scenario? Probably. But Dean had no idea how his parents would handle finding out their oldest son was gay. It had never come up before.

He didn't even consider that Ellen would solve that problem for him.

Damn.

And now they were in the kitchen- with Lisa- TALKING.

He was so screwed. Any moment now Lisa was going to stomp into the room and slap the high-holy fuck out of him for lying to her face.

Then leave him.

Again.

Just like Cas.

And he would have no one, except Lucifer, his bi-polar cat with the unnatural fascination with his brother's hair...

Dean groaned loudly.

At least Cas was better off in California. He had nailed the interview that morning. Everyone thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. His day was probably loads better than Dean's.

The thought of Cas's victory on TV made Dean feel just a little better...

…-^o^-…

"Shhh! For God's sake, be quiet. You're going to get us caught."

Dick scanned the hallway carefully. The doors remained shut up and down the hall. It was nearly midnight, and most of the Executives would be asleep by now.

Dick was cautious anyway. The last thing he needed was to be caught sneaking a junior worker from the third floor into his suite. He'd never live it down.

He was just so tired, though.

Of course, his companion assumed they were having a daring romantic liaison.

"C'mon. I want to get you out of this suit, handsome." The young man hanging from Dick's arm giggled as if he had just told a funny joke. "Which one is yours?"

Dick hissed at him. "I said be quiet. We're almost there."

They made it to his door and he hurriedly dug in his pocket for his key card.

The sound of another door opening had him freezing in his tracks.

"Well, what do we have here?"

No. Of all people, not HIM.

"Dickie, who's your handsome young friend?"

Dick turned slowly to face Balthazar, who was strolling down the hall towards them. The idiot at Dick's side waved broadly at him. "Shhh! We're being super-quiet!"

Balthazar's eyes slid over the young man, and even though he was wearing his usual grin, Dick felt like there was a distinctly unfriendly gleam in his eye. "Yes, and failing at it, I noticed."

"Just go back to your room, Balthazar." Dick managed to hiss, pulling his key card from his pocket finally. As the door flashed green and clicked open, he tried to tug his companion in quickly with him.

To his surprise, the young man was yanked back out into the hall, letting out an indignant chirp. Dick turned around to find Balthazar gripping the man's arm and leaning over him threateningly, smile gone. "Piss off and never mention this to anyone. Do you understand?"

The young man gaped at him, then nodded enthusiastically. Balthazar released him, his eyes remaining looked on the other man's until he turned and fled quickly down the hall and out of sight.

Dick stared after him, stunned.

He turned to Balthazar, furious. "How-how DARE you! After all the ridiculous stunts you pull, you have the nerve to-"

He didn't finish the sentence. Balthazar was suddenly shoving him back into his room and following closely. He shut the door quietly.

Dick had no idea how to handle the sudden invasion. "Yo-you can't come in here! Get out. Now!"

The familiar grin returned and Balthazar chuckled, "Dickie, if you were feeling lonely, all you had to do was ask." He was suddenly leaning forward, into Dick's personal space.

Dick froze. He swallowed thickly as Balthazar waited patiently, his face only inches from Dick's own.

"Well…are you feeling lonely, Dickie?" Balthazar asked lowly, his warm breath brushing gently across Dick's blushing face.

"G-g-get out."

To his surprise, Balthazar stepped back, shrugging helplessly. "Just trying help, Dickie. Being a good friend and all that. Oh, well. Sleep tight, then. You know where my room is." He waved cheerfully and winked as he stepped out and left.

Dick waited until the door shut to finally breath.

What the hell had just happened…?

Dick stared blankly around the empty living room area, trying to make sense of the last few minutes.

It suddenly struck him that Balthazar had just sent away his nighttime companion.

AND had hit on him.

And Dick had just stuttered uselessly.

The anger that had failed to come out when it had been needed just moments ago, rose to the surface, but it was pointless now.

Balthazar was gone and Dick was standing alone, in his empty suite, pissed, with no one to even properly yell at.

That BASTARD...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The climax of the story is fast-approaching! More exciting stuff in store! Don't be afraid to chime in with a comment or two- I LOVE hearing from you all!


	32. The Plan Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it past 2000 Hits! YAY!! Thanks for continuing to read everyone!

As it turned out, Lisa never burst through the kitchen doors.

It ended up taking several hours for Sam and Dean to return the living room to its former state of cleanliness (plus some, since both men had let the upkeep slack a bit in their parent's absence.) Once they had finally cleaned up as best they could, they hesitantly poked their heads into the kitchen.

At least, Sam did. Dean hung back, too nervous about what the mood in the kitchen would be like.

When did he become such a freakin' coward? He hated it. And he especially hated the shit-eating smirk Sam sent him when he noticed his brother hanging back.

But, Dean couldn't fight back the wave of nerves.

Was it really possible that Ellen had told his parents about Cas? Told them that Dean, their skirt-chasing son, fell hard for a man?

How would he know if they knew? Would they confront him about it immediately? Or would he see it their eyes? Would they be ashamed? Angry? Disappointed?

He just had no gauge for this sort of thing.

He knew that they supported Ash. Hell, they loved the guy.

Would they be as accepting when it was their own son?

And if they did accept him and the fact that he had a brief relationship with another dude, then what?

Everyone just accepts that it happened, and move on. No questions asked?

Would they all just celebrate at his and Lisa's wedding, like Cas was a weird phase that Dean had once upon a time?

These questions and more were eating away at him. The wound was still too new to be poked at. He wasn't sure what he would say to his parents if they asked him about it.

Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary, at least for this evening. As soon as Sam stuck his head into the kitchen, Dean heard his mother exclaim, "Good Heavens, is that the time? We have had a long trip, ladies. John and I need to hit the hay." Dean worked up just enough nerve to hover at the edge of the doors and look in. John was leaning casually against the kitchen cabinets, while Mary was rising from her seat at the table with Jess and Lisa. Everything seemed normal. "It sure was nice meeting you, Jess. We're gonna have to have another chat real soon, okay? And Lisa, honey, it's so great to see you again. You make yourself right at home, you hear? We'll see you all tomorrow, then."

Then Mary was walking their way, passing Sam and Dean, with John following. As she headed for the front door, she shook her head slowly, frowning as she stared at the empty space where her coffee table had always stood.

But, she clenched her lips tightly, not saying anything, for which both men were grateful.

Their father, however, took a long look around the room before stating, "You boys call this clean? I know I taught you both better. Hell, I thought I taught you better than to fight each other, too. I reckon I'll have to re-educate you both while I'm in town. Be ready for it. Your mom and I are going to be staying out in the camper." And with a silent shake of his head, he turned and followed Mary out of the house, leaving the warning hanging in the silent air.

Dean hadn't missed the fact that his father never glanced toward him before leaving. Coincidence...?

Sam, apparently oblivious to his brother's worried thoughts, shot Dean a final dirty look, before turning back to the kitchen and speaking to Jess. "Hey, babe. Sorry about…uh, everything. That must have been pretty awkward."

Dean followed him in, taking in Lisa's tight smile. His stomach clenched with dread. Maybe they had mentioned Cas. His heart raced.

Jess grinned at Sam as she stepped over to him. "It's fine, hon. Your parents are really cool! It's so exciting to meet actual TV stars!"

Both Sam and Dean cringed at the mention of their parents claim to fame.

"Are you ready for me to take you home? It already past one a.m. You must be exhausted." Sam asked hurriedly, desperate to change the subject.

Jess nodded, yawning in answer. They left the room together after a quick good-bye. A few moments later, Dean heard the front door open and close.

He turned to Lisa, almost afraid to meet her eye. He searched for a way to ask her what his parents had talked about, but was afraid he would come off as suspicious.

She saved him the trouble. With her eyes downcast to the patterned kitchen floor, she spoke quietly, "Dean, we have to call off the engagement and come clean about the baby."

Dean's eyes widened in alarm and he crossed the room to where she was still seated. "Lis, what are you saying? We already talked about this. Wh-what did they say to you?"

Lisa gave him a confused look, then finally answered sadly, "They said that they are thrilled for us. That they can't wait to have their first grandchild."

In his mind, Dean thanked whatever higher power was watching out for him. They hadn't mentioned Cas. Maybe they really didn't know. Out loud, he asked, "So, what's the problem? This is perfect."

Lisa turned her huge brown eyes up to him and shook her head. "No. This is all wrong, Dean. This lie is just…just too big. We can't do this to them. To everyone. I know it's important to you, but I promise, even if they know the truth, I wont leave you. We don't have to get married and live this lie. We can still be friends without having to pretend that there's something here that isn't real. I hate it, Dean. I should never have suggested it in the first place. I can't do this."

Dean bent down to steady her shaking hands. "Hey, calm down, Lis. You're just nervous. It's okay. Remember, we're not just doing this for us. We're doing it for the baby. He deserves to have a good family watching out for him. Not some dick-dad who couldn't give two shits about him. We can be everything he needs. We just have to stick together and get through this." He softened his tone, raising a hand to gently hold Lisa's cheek as he spoke, "You're not the bad person here, Lis. We're doing this together, for a great reason. OUR kid."

Lisa stared into his eyes for several silent seconds, before nodding her head, once.

…-^o^-…

Saturday morning, Dean awoke slowly. He rubbed his bare skin against the soft, silkiness of his bedsheets, holding on to the lingering dream he had been having.

Twinkling blue eyes and a long expanse of soft, warm skin floated through his fuzzy mind.

Cas.

Dean tried to hold him there, to keep his waking mind from cutting through the image and dispersing it back into nothingness. But the bright sun shining in through his window pulled him back to reality.

The same reality that Cas was not a part of anymore.

Dean groaned quietly, frowning into his pillow. He was sporting an erection already, courtesy of dream Cas. The proximity of his parents had put a damper on his enthusiasm the night before. He felt like a teenager again, trying to jerk off in secrecy while his parents were just down the hall.

He let his gaze wander briefly to the closet where the stash from Ash was hidden.

He had planned on upgrading. Last night he was going to switch to a new, interesting looking item in the box. Some sort of vibrating device.

He had been pretty excited/nervous to try it out. After the initial experimentation with the small plug set, Dean was feeling adventurous and more assured of himself than ever.

What had he been so freaked out about? Yeah, sure, it was a new, kinda weird feeling and took some getting used to, but, damn. Totally worth it.

And if Cas were still around...

Dean huffed a frustrated sigh and tossed the covers off himself. What he needed right now was an excuse to avoid his parents. They had arrived late the night before, and hadn't really had a chance to speak with him. He had a feeling that if he didn't make himself scarce, then he would get cornered and caught off guard. He just wasn't ready to find out how much they knew.

So, after a quick dash to the restroom, a hurried shower, and change of clothes, Dean hauled ass for the Impala and freedom.

It was just past 8:40 in the morning, which was normally way too early for Dean to be conscious on a Saturday, but he decided that staying clear of the house was best for the time being.

He ended up camped out at the diner on the square for the next several hours. The small business was mostly empty, and he had a choice of where to sit.

He chose the same corner booth that he and Castiel had sat in on their first because it was his favorite. No other reason...

The waitress, Christine, wasn't on the morning shift apparently, for which Dean was grateful. He was sure she would hit him up about Cas. Hell, the entire town now knew that Cas was the new ADA Head. No chance Christine didn't realize that she had served (and shamelessly flirted) with the man. And she was not the type to pass up an oppurtunity.

Dean sat in silence, eating slowly and sipping coffee as he stared out the windows.

Just over a week ago, Cas was sitting right there, across from him, being sexy as fuck. The golden sun lighting up his blue eyes….

The sound of his phone going off pulled him from his memories. The caller ID flashed Sam.

"What's up, man?" Dean asked.

'Hey! Where are you, dude?'

"Getting breakfast in the square." Dean answered, worrying for a moment if Sam was going to insist on showing up with their parents for a family breakfast.

'Jess is here at the house. She and Lisa were talking about hitting up some of the stores on the square. Apparently there's a Baby Store having a sale. You want to meet up?'

Dean stared across the table, eyes stuck on the seat where Cas had been sitting what might as well have been hundreds of years ago. Dean had gone from having a gay boyfriend and enjoying one of the best dates of his life, to meeting his female fiancee early as fuck on Saturday to shop for baby stuff.

In just the matter of a few weeks...

"Yeah. Yeah, Sammy. I'll meet you guys outside the movie theatre, alright?"

'Sounds good. See you soon.'

…

"How the hell can such tiny outfits cost this much money!?" Dean exclaimed in a panicked hiss to a pale-faced Sam.

The brothers were standing- mortified- at the cash register in the baby store. The two women had spent over three hours 'ooohing' and 'aaahing' everything in the store. Sam and Dean had been assigned 'purchase holding' duty. After a very suspicious hushed argument between Dean and Lisa, it was begrudgingly agreed upon that Dean was going to pay for the items.

By the time they dumped everything onto the counter for check out, the total cost had come out to over four hundred dollars.

It struck Sam as strange that Lisa was so uncomfortable with Dean picking up the costs. He tucked the thought away in the back of his mind for later consideration.

He already had his suspicions, but they were almost absurd...

The alarmingly up-beat clerk was smiling broadly at the two men after the women left to order coffee from the shop down the street.

The woman's smile faltered momentarily when she seemed to notice the angry bruise lines circling Sam's neck. Sam caught the look and tried to smile as if there was nothing wrong with having yellow and purple marks dipping below his shirt collar.

Dean was roughed up from their fight, too, but he managed to keep his face from taking the worst of the beating. The superficial asshole...

Dean caught the exchange between Sam and the clerk, and shot his brother a smug, shit-eating grin.

Because Dean is a bastard, and doesn't care that the entire fight was his fault to begin with.

Sam rolled his eyes when the clerk turned away, clearly freaked out, to start bagging the items. Dean had pulled out his wallet, counting through his cash to see if he needed to pay with a card.

Suddenly Dean stopped, his face dropping.

Without thinking, Sam glanced over his brother's shoulder, catching sight of a small length of paper that had been mixed between the bills.

It was one of the photobooth-style picture strips.

Sam's eyes widened as he recognized the faces.

The pictures showed both his brother and Castiel, smiling brightly before leaning in toward each other, and ultimately kissing.

Sam was dumbstruck. He had known, of course. He just...hadn't really thought of his brother like THAT.

The two men in the photos looked...happy.

And NOT the kind of happy that pregnant ex's or hundreds of miles could easily come between. The genuine kind. The forever and ever, amen-kind.

God, the look on Dean's face in the pictures...

Dean stayed frozen in front of Sam, staring at the small strip. Sam couldn't see his face now, but his shoulders were stiff.

"Dean...?" Sam finally hazarded.

The older Winchester unfroze, shoving the pictures and cash back into his wallet hastily and pulled his card out instead.

He didn't turn around or make eye contact with Sam. Nothing to acknowledge the photo strip.

After a few seconds, Sam asked quietly, careful not to spook him, "You okay?"

He didn't need to clarify about what. It was obvious how the sudden appearance of the photos had shook Dean.

"Yeah. Fine. Never letting Jess shop with Lisa again. She's a bad influence. Half this stuff was her suggestion."

Sam forced himself to chuckle at his brother's words, but he knew that the subject change was intentional.

Why couldn't Dean just admit that he missed Castiel? Why did he have to try and act so tough?

Everyone knew he was hurting, BAD.

But Dean just pushed on, bull-headed, determined to seem fine.

Once the clerk finished packing up the items, the men carried the bags out and walked the short ways to the near-by coffee shop.

The group sat in the dining area outside, chatting for a while under the bright glow of the morning sun.

Dean had apparently recovered from the shock of finding the pictures unexpectedly. He was even smiling and laughing occasionally, though his smile faded fast, and more then once they had to pull him back into the conversation.

After several minutes of sitting and chatting, Sam hopped up to duck back inside the shop for a refill. As he approached the service counter, he heard a "Pssst."

Sam turned, confused.

A huge man was seated in a tiny wooden chair at an empty table. He seemed to be easily Sam's height, but nearly twice the girth.

"Uh…did you need something?" Sam asked hesitantly, not recognizing the stranger.

The man nodded and gestured to the chair beside him. Sam took a step back and shook his head. "No thanks, man. I, uh, actually have some friends waiting outside."

"Relax. I am a friend of Loki." The man's thick accent rumbled out the name and it took several seconds before Sam realized who he was talking about.

"Y-you're a friend of Gab-" He was cut off by the man waving his hand hurriedly to silence him.

"Yes. I am friend of LOKI. I am told you, too, are a friend. You are the brother of Dean, yes?"

Sam frowned for a moment, but finally sat down in the chair. "Yeah. Dean's my brother." He pointed out the window where the other three were sitting and talking. "Who are you, though? And how do you know about me and my brother?"

"I told you. I am friend of Loki. My name is Anton. Loki asked me to help you." Sam gave him a strange look, but the man continued, leaning in to say lowly, "You are being watched. You see the man, over in the taxi car across the street?"

Sam turned to see where the man was referring. Sure enough, a taxi was parked on the side of the road with it's off-duty light on. As Sam stared, he caught the peak of a camera lens poking for just a moment out the window of the vehicle. It was pointed directly at the group seated outside.

It disappeared so fast that Sam almost missed it.

He spun around to face the man beside him. "What the hell?! Why is that cabbie taking pictures of us?" Sam began to rise, but a strong hand pulled him back into his seat.

The man, Anton, released Sam's arm and shrugged. "Loki mentioned for me to be on the look-out. He said a bad person may be sneaking around and taking pictures. He asked me to keep an eye on Cas-sie's pretty boyfriend."

"Wha-? You mean Castiel? Dude, him and Dean, um, ended things. A few days ago. Castiel's in San Diego now. It's all over the news. What does he even have to do with any of this?" A thought suddenly struck Sam. He ducked his head down and hissed out, "Wait! Is this about the bad dudes Gab-,er, Loki was talking about? Why the hell would they be taking pictures of Dean?"

Anton shrugged again and answered, "I just do as my tiny friend asks because he is worried about Cas-sie. You must ask Loki why the pretty boyfriend is being watched."

Sam looked out the window again at the cab. He couldn't see the driver from this angle.

If he went out there and made contact, then these 'bad guys' would know that their cover was blown. But, he needed to get a look at the guy taking pictures of Dean.

Sam turned to Anton, who was sipping on his tea daintily from a minuscule china teacup, pinky extended.

"Anton, could you, uh, help me? I want to get a look at that cabbie. Can you find a way to get him out of the car, you know, subtly?"

Anton's face split into a bright, toothy smile, gold flashing from several false teeth. He downed the rest of his drink like a shot and stood. "Leave it to me, my long-haired friend! And good luck. Pretty-boyfriend is special to Cas-sie. Keep him safe, yes?"

With that, Anton rose, slapped Sam roughly on the back and walked out.

Sam hurried out shortly after him, moving to join the group at the table.

"Dude, what took you so long?" Dean asked him incredulously.

"Uh, I was thinking about getting a, um, a cupcake. Couldn't make up my mind." Sam shrugged as he sat down, trying not to look in the direction of the cab.

"What? Since when do you even like cupcakes?" Dean frowned at him. Sam realized that Lisa and Jess were also giving him weird looks.

"I- I had a moment, okay? Geez! Can't a guy look at baked goods without getting the third-degree?" Everyone backed off a bit after that outburst. They returned to their discussion from before he sat down, which apparently was about the large stock of diapers that babies required in their first two years. Dean looked like he was mentally trying to calculate the financial blow his bank account was about to experience.

After several nerve-wracking minutes, in which Sam managed to cast a few covert glances across the street, there was still no indication that Anton had made a move yet.

Sam willed himself to relax and instead focus on his brother before he accidentally gave them away.

So, Dean was a target. But, to what end? What good were photos of Dean drinking coffee?

Were they just to get at Castiel? Make him feel crappy about the break-up?

Or was it even more insidious? Like- we know you like this guy. And see how close we can get to him? It sure would be a shame if something were to happen to him…

Sam knew he needed to call Gabriel. Get some answers. If Dean was in real danger, then they had to act fast.

The sudden sound of metal slamming into metal tore through the peace of the square.

All eyes in the area turned to the source of the disturbance.

Sam spun quickly, too, looking along with the rest of the group. He felt his mouth fall open in horror.

Directly across the street, a tricked out Donk-style cadillac had practically T-boned into the passenger side of the taxi cab.

From inside the taxi, a small, thin frame emerged, clearly furious. Sam frowned for a moment, recognizing the man. It was the same cabbie who had dropped Dean off on that fateful Wednesday, after Castiel left for San Diego.

No way that was a coincidence-! Just how long had this guy been following Dean?

The cabbie stomped furiously over to the driver side of the cadillac, apparently eager for a fight.

That's when the massive bulk of Anton unfolded itself from the driver side. And he looked pissed. He was almost unrecognizable from the cheerfully beaming man who had just been speaking with Sam. From a shop nearby with a sign reading 'Ivanov's Bar', several more huge-framed men flooded out, creating a tsunami of hostility that swept down the sidewalk and surrounded the puny-looking cabbie.

The small man shifted quickly from pissed to comically apologetic. The group couldn't hear what was being said, but from the cabbie's gestures, it seemed as though HE was the one apologizing for being parked in the Cadillac's way.

"Oh, shit. Is that-? Is that Anton?" Dean muttered with a groan from his side of the table.

Sam turned to his brother quickly, just as Lisa asked in awe, "Dean, you know one of those men?"

Dean's mouth shut quickly and he stood. "We're done here, right? Maybe we can check out the mall for baby furniture, huh? Let's go." He barely waited for the rest of the group before darting away from the wreck scene.

Wow. Way to not act suspicious, Dean. Sam thought, huffing as he rolled his eyes and grabbed all their shopping bags. He hurried after his brother and the women, casting a final glance back towards Anton and the cabbie.

He caught Anton's eye, and the man's face changed from enraged mountain of muscle to bright, toothy smile. He sent Sam a happy thumbs-up before returning his attention to the not-accident with a scowl.

Sam groaned to himself weakly.

Well, he had gotten the cabbie out of the cab. Just like Sam had asked him to do….

…

Sam ditched Dean and the other two women once they arrived at the furniture shop in the Lawrence mall.

The three of them were in a heated debate about the merits of matching the baby furniture in a set, or buying separate pieces.

Once he was safely outside the store, Sam dialed the number for 'Loki'.

'Yellow?'

"Hey. Dude. You're not gonna believe this! There was a guy, a taxi driver, taking pictures of Dean in town today. I think he's been trailing Dean for a while."

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. '…Did you get a good look at him?' Gabriel's voice was uncharacteristically tense.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, your buddy, Anton, helped. The crazy dude ran his freakin' car into the guy's cab to get the him out. But, yeah, I got a look at him. And I've seen him before, man. He picked up Dean from Castiel's apartment the morning your brother left. There's no telling how long the dude has been following them."

There was a short hiss from the other side of the line. 'Not just them, Sam. And he's been hanging around Lawrence for a while now.'

"What? What are you talking about?"

'I wasn't sure if it was just me. Turns out the bad guys in the ADA have been having their lackey take LOTS of pictures. They planted a few for me to find when I was about to take-over, too. Some kind of fucked up blackmail.' The last words were bit out lowly. 'Please tell me Anton worked the guy over good?' His voice sounded hopeful.

"Uh, well, no. Um, at least, I don't think so. We were on a crowded street on the square." Gabriel made a loud pouting noise into the phone. Sam frowned and asked, "So, they've been taking photos of people for a while now? Why would they still want pictures of Dean? Castiel is out of the closet, and him and Dean aren't even talking anymore, right?"

'Leverage, buddy. I don't know about Cassie's photos, but mine were… they were threats. I got out of Dodge fast once I saw them. Figured there was no point carrying out their threats if I wasn't in a position to help them get what they were after. In my little bro's case, Dean is the leverage. No telling for sure what the threat is, but it can't be good. I'm betting Cassie didn't want to risk it. Which means they have him right where they want him.'

"Gabriel, I need you to be honest with me here. Is Dean in danger?" Sam finally asked, his chest tightening.

There was another pause on the line. After what felt like an eternity, Gabriel's voice finally answered, 'Yeah, he probably is. Sorry, Sam. I wish you guys hadn't been pulled into this mess.'

Sam ran a nervous hand over his face. Great. Some nameless, faceless bastards were after Dean, and he didn't even realize it. "I have to tell him, Gabe."

'…What are you going to say, Sam?' Gabriel's voice sounded defeated. 'Why do you think I came to you about all this, instead of your brother? It's because if Dean finds out that Cassie is in trouble, then his dumb ass will probably come charging in here, guns a'blazing.' Gabriel sighed into the phone. 'You know they aren't really over each other. That's why Dean is good leverage against Castiel. I've got ears on the inside- close to Cassie. He's still hung-up on Dean. BAD. If Dean shows up right now, then the bad guys will take action. He'd just make everything worse, Sam. We need a solid plan.'

Sam huffed in annoyance. He didn't like keeping something like this from Dean. "What can I do, then? I can't let this creep keep stalking my brother."

'I think the best move we can make right now is to find out exactly who we are up against, Sam. The cabbie may be able to give you names. See what you can find out from him, but do it very carefully. If he gets word back to his boss that we are onto him, then they may escalate their pressure on Castiel. I'll see what I can find here at the ADA. Maybe I can determine what they are trying to use my brother for, and find a way to stop it.'

"Got it. I'll see if I can corner this dude. Let me know if you find anything that can help me keep my brother safe, Gabe."

'Will do, Sammy.' There was a brief pause before Gabriel said again, 'I really am sorry about all this.'

"Yeah. I know, Gabe. It's not you and Castiel's fault. It's just- it's all so absurd. Hard to wrap my head around, you know. I'm worried about my brother. And yours. Let's just find a way to end this without anyone getting hurt." Sam ended the call, his stomach clenching.

If Dean found out that Sam knew about any of this- the bad guys in the ADA, the photos, the blackmail- and didn't tell him about it, he was going to lose his shit.

Especially if Castiel really was in danger.

Dean wasn't half as convincing as he thinks. He was just as hung up on Castiel as Castiel seemed to be on him.

And Gabriel was right. Dean would jump in without thinking first.

…-^o^-…

The top floor offices of the ADA Headquarters were empty on a Saturday.

The normally bustling center of ADA operations was a ghost town as Gabriel moved quietly past the cubicles and desks.

He cast a subtle glance up to one of the many cameras spread throughout the office.

He had taken great care in his disguise- a janitor jumpsuit, complete with a baseball cap and mustache. He was confident after passing multiple security personnel on his way in that his get-up was convincing. Regardless, he still went through the motions of pushing the vacuum inconspicuously. Couldn't be too careful.

He worked his way slowly towards the main office, previously his father's, then his, and now Castiel's. There were no cameras inside that room, so he would be able to search it freely.

Gabriel made a show of shaking and shimmying his way across the floor to the office door, keeping the vacuum in motion for anyone who may be watching.

Once he arrived outside the door, he made a fuss of handling his fake keyring. He had his body blocking the cameras from seeing his hands. When he was sure it would not be observed, he slipped a credit card from his front pocket and jammed it into the slight gap of the doorframe expertly. After several moments of sliding and playing with the handle, the door finally gave.

Gabriel breathed out deeply. If anyone in security was watching him closely, they might be suspicious of the time it took to open the door.

He hoped luck was on his side.

Continuing to act as if nothing was amiss, Gabriel grabbed several cleaning items and walked busily into the office, allowing the door to swing shut behind him.

He was in.

If what Sam had said on the phone was right, then somewhere in here would be a manila envelope, like the one he had received. If he could look it over more closely, he may be able to find something that gave away who the sender was.

...

Twenty minutes later, Gabriel was becoming frustrated. Where the hell could Cassie have stashed the photos? He must have them hidden somewhere. The bad guys would have made sure he kept them, as a silent reminder.

He slammed another drawer shut angrily. The room was pretty spartan as it was: one big screen TV sat up against the far wall, a large entertainment system cabinet surrounding it. There was a spacious private bathroom off to the side and a few chairs, a sofa and a coffee table nearby.

No obvious place to hide a huge envelope full of threats and secrets.

Gabriel huffed an angry sigh. He wouldn't have hid them in his room on the sixth floor. They were cleaned daily by the cleaning crews. Way too risky.

They had to be here somewhere…

He bent down to the floor, crawling on his hands and feet under the desk.

Nothing taped to the underside. Damn. Cassie must be hella-good at hide and seek.

"Where the fuck did he put them?" Gabriel grumbled to himself, annoyed and running short on time.

"Put what, sir?"

Gabriel slammed his head hard into the bottom of the desk. "OUCH! FOR THE LOVE OF-! Is that Alfie?" Gabriel hissed the question as he wiggled backwards and out from under the desk. "Of course it is! Who the fuck else?! How the HELL do you do that, kid?! I didn't even hear you come in!" Gabriel rose to find the cheerfully smiling intern standing patiently by the desk.

"I did knock, sir." Alfie stated helpfully, nodding his head.

Gabriel shook his sore, aching head, then flopped backwards into his father's huge chair exhaustedly.

The last time he had been sitting here with Alfie standing nearby, he had been asking the young man to set him up with some sheets to make his daring escape.

"Alright. Whatever, 'Ghost-Protocol'. Listen, I don't have much time. You wouldn't happen to know if Castiel received a suspicious manila envelope recently, would you?"

"Oh, do you mean an envelope filled with private photos of him and his boyfriend from Kansas?"

Gabriel stared at the young man for several silent seconds. He couldn't be…

"Alfie. How do YOU know about the photos?" Gabriel asked quietly, trying not to let suspicion edge his words.

"Oh, well he received the first packet here in the office, and I happened to see them, sir." Alfie stated factually.

Gabriel relaxed a little. "Okay…. So, you know about the blackmail, then?"

"Yes, sir. So does Ms. Naomi, and Ruby and Charlie." Gabriel wasn't expecting that, but he nodded his head. Looks like several people were in the know. It put them in danger, but it could end up helping in the long run. He would need all the help he could get. "Oh, well, and I guess the others, too, obviously. Mr. Zachariah and his group."

Gabriel paused, blinking up at Alfie. Did he just…? "Alfie," Gabriel asked lowly, making and holding eye contact with the young man, "Why would Zachariah know about the photos?"

"Because he's the one who had them planted, sir." Alfie stated matter-of-factly, as if he was discussing gardening instead of corporate blackmail.

Gabriel was out of the chair fast, standing directly in front of the taller man. He grabbed the intern's shirt in excitement. "Alfie. How do you KNOW that?"

If Alfie was nervous, he didn't show it. Instead, he answered in his usual helpful voice. "Well, I happened to be there in Zachariah's office when he and the rest of his team showed Castiel the newest photos and threatened him yesterday."

"For-! FOR GOD'S SAKE ALFIE! Were you planning to TELL anyone that Zachariah is the mole?! I'm over here busting my ass and risking everything to get information on these fuckers and you're in here sitting on all that information! Why haven't you told security and had Zachariah and his fucking cronies taken out of here in handcuffs?!"

"Ah, well, sir. Two reasons. First, the head of security, Uriel, is on Zachariah's side." Gabriel's mouth dropped open, but Alfie continued patiently, counting on his fingers, "And two, Zachariah threatened to send the media and reporters and crazy people after Dean Winchester, and that made Castiel very scared, sir. So, I figured I would respect Castiel's wishes and not say anything." Alfie finished with a emphatic nod.

"So, that's their game, then? Publicly 'out' Dean and blame Cassie for the aftermath when he ends up all over the news?" Gabriel sat back in the chair, thinking hard. "Shit. They wouldn't even need the photos. Yeah… damn, it's a solid scheme. Castiel wont make a move against them to get the missing money back." He looked back up to Alfie. "So, what's the endgame here, Alfie? These idiots have stole billions of dollars and are running the company into the ground. How does that help any of them? What do they need Castiel for? To be a patsy?"

Alfie shrugged apologetically. "I'm not sure, sir. All I know is that Zachariah is going to meet with him at brunch in," He looked at his watch, "about an hour to tell him."

Gabriel checked his watch and hopped up. "Hmm. Looks like I have a date, then." The small man hissed grimly. He grabbed a pen and sheet of paper, then scribbled his phone number on it. "Here, Alfie. This is my burner phone number. Guard it with your life. Send me the brunch details. I have to bail before I'm caught here." After Alfie took the piece of paper and nodded cheerfully, Gabriel darted for the door.

Just before he stepped out, he stopped himself.

He turned back to Alfie, and after a few seconds of frowning he mumbled the question, "Hey, uh, how is Ruby doing? Sh-she's probably pretty pissed with me, huh?"

Alfie frowned and replied, "Well, sir. She was pretty quiet and broody for a while. But, she talks about you all the time now!"

"Really?" Gabriel asked, surprised. "Like, what?"

"Um, usually stuff like," Alfie imitated Ruby's voice, growling out the words while holding a manic smile. " 'When I find him, I'm going to break every bone in his body- twice. Except his dick. I'm going to break that THREE times'."

Gabriel stood frozen at the door, horrified. "Oh. Yes. Well. Hah. Glad to know she's thinking of me…." He turned stiffly and left.

…-^o^-…

Uriel opened the door to long black limousine once they arrived outside the upscale restaurant where the mysterious meeting was going to take place.

Castiel emerged slowly, followed by Zachariah. The two men had not said much on the way over. Zachariah had maintained his beaming, self-satisfied smile as he read the newspaper calmly.

It had been madness just leaving the company's underground car lot. The media vans had started following immediately, causing traffic issues along the many one-way streets of downtown San Diego. At practically every stop-light they were caught in, a surge of reporters would hop from their vehicles to rap repeatedly on the limo's tinted windows, microphones and cameras at the ready.

Castiel had tried not to fidget being in such close proximity to the man who was actively ruining his life. The sense of helpless fury had faded over the sleepless night into an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness.

There was no way out of this. He would give them whatever they asked for. He had to protect Dean and the company employees. Those had to be his priorities.

Several people stopped to stare as Castiel walked the short distance to the entrance of the restaurant. A few pointed at him and some even fumbled to pull out their phones to snap quick pictures. A short distance away a herd of reporters were already closing in, bright camera lights ready.

It was surreal to have everybody, even just average pedestrians on the streets, recognize him like he was some sort of celebrity.

Once they were safely inside, they were escorted with an obscene amount of pomp and circumstance, past the other seated patrons towards a more private booth in the back, overlooking the San Diego coast. The other restaurant guests broke into hurried whispers, craning their necks and even standing to get a better look at Castiel. He walked past their tables stiffly, repeatedly telling himself that he had to do this.

He kept up his mantra, steadying his nerves. For Dean. For the company. For Dean. For the company...

They stepped into a more private seating area of the restaurant which had an enormous floor to ceiling window that looked out over the calm Pacific. They were on the second floor of the restaurant. The bright sunlight shone majestically off the rippling blue of the water. Crowds of families and laughing couples seemed small in the distance, bustling happily and enjoying their Saturday.

Castiel's eyes were drawn to them. The happy people.

How had his own world become so fraught with misery and fear? He had been happy just like those people. And not so long ago.

Just last week, in fact.

With Dean.

When all that had mattered was what to wear on their casual date.

Or what to not wear, he remembered, mind flashing to the sight of Dean grinning as he stripped his tight shirt from his body, revealing the long-awaited glimpse of toned and tan muscles.

Castiel didn't realize that he was smiling until a sickly sweet voice called his attention back. "OH MY GOD! Cassie, darling, it seems like it has been FOREVER!" Before he could cringe away from the voice, he found himself a prisoner in a tight, over-perfumed embrace. He was so stunned that he didn't fight the hug, despite the identity of the donor dawning on him.

When the heavily hairsprayed brown head finally moved back from his face, he took in the unfortunately familiar face. "…Bela?" He tried not to scowl, but knew he was losing the battle.

"Oh, I know! It's been too long! We MUST catch up as soon as possible." She spoke to him intimately, still standing entirely too close. A meticulously manicured hand remained wrapped around his forearm.

"Alright, Bela, give the poor man room to breath!" If possible, Castiel's face must have darkened even further at the voice. He looked up, over Bela's shoulder and spotted the speaker. Castiel's stomach clenched with a mixture of anger and dread.

"Azazel."

"Great to see you again, too, Castiel. I'm so glad that Zachariah here was able to talk to you into meeting with me. I have some very important matters to discuss with you." The man had a smile that turned up in just one corner of his mouth, making it seem as if he were smirking all the time. It was very possible that he was.

Also at the table were Azazel's other two spawn. Aside from Bela- who still had her claws hooked into his arm- the man's son, Tom, and second daughter, Meg, were seated with him. Unlike Bela, they both looked like they would rather be any where but here.

Zachariah moved past Castiel and took up an empty seat. Azael gestured to a seat across from him at the elegantly arranged table for Castiel.

The dread in his stomach was building to full-blown panic at this point.

Why was he meeting with the head of the ADA's top competitor, the CPOA? And why had Zachariah arranged it?

Bela reluctantly detached herself from Castiel as he moved slowly to sit. He resisted the urge to wipe off the sleeve she had been hanging on, as if she had something contagious.

A series of full plates and bowls of delicious smelling foods were carried in quickly by graceful waiters and waitresses. Once all available space on the table was covered, the staff bowed and left the guests.

Castiel didn't move to fix himself any of the food, despite the mouth-watering aroma wafting from the dishes.

After a few awkward moments of silence, there was a sudden huff of annoyance from Meg before she leaned forward and began piling her plate up.

Everyone watched her with varying faces of disapproval. She didn't seem care. Once she had plopped her plump frame back into her seat, the silence returned, only to be broken by the sound of her starting in on the food.

Zachariah spoke up first, apparently choosing not to waste time with formalities. "Mr. Novak has already been apprised of the importance of this meeting, so let's skip to the good parts." Azazel nodded, his little smirk appearing briefly as he eyed Castiel from across the table. Zachariah turned to face Castiel, as well. "Here's the deal, champ. As it stands, the company is looking at devastating financial loss. These first three office closures are just a small sample of what's in store in the very near future. It's safe to say that the ADA could be completely shut down by this time next year."

"And who's fault is that?" Castiel bit out, unable to maintain his stoic silence in the face of the man who was the cause of the company's downfall. "Why are you doing this? You knew that the company wouldn't survive after you bled it dry!" Zachariah held his hands up in defense, but didn't bother to hide his grin. The rest of the group at the table ignored his outburst.

"Castiel, please. I already explained to you- we have a plan. A great one in fact. The money was just a… well, a means to a much more lucrative end."

Castiel stared at him in disbelief. How the hell does stealing loads of money and capsizing your own company lead to anything good, he wondered.

Zachariah continued, "I'm not going to mince words with you, Castiel. You're a smart guy. I know you'll be able to understand the intricacy of this matter. You're not like your father. HE had no vision. No ambition." Castiel clenched his hands under the white tablecloth, but remained silent as Zachariah criticized his father. "But, you- I can tell, you will see the bigger picture here. YOU will make the sacrifices that are needed to pull this glorious plan off."

"For God's sake, stop with the holier-than-thou ranting and just tell the poor bastard why we're all here," Snapped the irritated voice of Meg from her end of the table, where she was shoveling bacon and eggs into her mouth.

Zachariah's face flashed annoyance, and beside him, Azazel shot a quick look of disapproval at his youngest.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Meg on this one. You like to hear yourself talk far to much, Zac." This was from Bela, who, despite being separated from Castiel by the lifeless, zoned out body of her brother, Tom, was doing her best to be as close to Castiel as possible. She smiled seductively at Castiel as she pressed Zachariah, "Go ahead and tell him about the plan. Who knows? He may actually approve of it."

Zachariah took a calming breath, closing his eyes briefly before opening them to smile. "Right. As I was saying, the company won't last at this rate, and the employees are already scrambling at the mere mention of shutdowns. They are looking to you, Castiel, as the new ADA Head, to save the flailing company." He looked Castiel in the eye and held his gaze, "And we can make sure you do just that."

Castiel frowned at him, but he had to ask, "…How?"

Zachariah's face split into a beaming smile. "A merger, of course."

A jolt of shock ran through Castiel. It suddenly made sense. Why he had been brought here to meet with the head of the competition. They were in this together, to fuse the two most highly profitable companies into one massive behemoth. The scale of the plan was almost fantastical. And the financial gains involved- it would make the missing money seem like a dropped penny.

But, the matter of merging wasn't as simple as Zachariah was making it sound. It was common knowledge that Azazel's company was below the ten percentile in public opinion. His workers within the company were treated poorly, and he was notorious for outsourcing labor to third world country sweatshops, where the workers were treated even worse.

If there was ever an Anti-ADA, then the CPOA was it.

They were opportunist, discarding workers and offices with zero regard for the people who worked for them. The mere idea of allowing Azazel and his company to be a part of the ADA was an impossibility.

"You can't be serious? A merger with- with THEM? Of course my father would have shot down such a ridiculous suggestion! We would never tolerate the policies and practices that the CPOA partakes in!" Castiel rose to his feet in a fury. He had to squash this idea- fast. He refused to even pretend to humor it. "The answer is no. I will not allow it."

"Sit down. Now." Zachariah hissed, casting his eyes in the direction of the other patrons further away. A few had noticed Castiel's sudden outburst, even though they were safely out of earshot. Castiel remained standing, a challenge to the man's order. "Sit down, now, you headstrong little fool! Do you not understand the situation you are in? We are NOT ASKING. You will do as we say or we are going to systematically take down every single branch and office of the company until there is nothing left! Then, we will use all the money we have taken to build up the CPOA offices and hire in all of the ADA's jobless employees. Either way you slice it, we WILL come out on top in all this! And as a small bonus, I'll make sure every torch waving, anti-gay fanatic on the planet has your little boyfriend's home address by dinner time tonight!"

Castiel sat with a heavy thud, his legs having given out on him. The silence following Zachariah's heated threats lasted for almost a solid minute. The entire table was waiting for Castiel to speak. His mind was buzzing at the man's threats.

There had to be a way out of this. He was responsible for the employees. They were counting on him to look out for them. If they ended up losing their jobs, their houses, their livelihood, it would all be on him. Thousands of people all over the world, with no choice but to be hired on by the ruthless CPOA.

And then there was Dean.

"N-no one would buy it." Castiel finally managed to mutter. "It would look suspicious. The ADA has always condemned the CPOA publicly. There would be an uproar at even the mention of a merger."

Both Azazel and Zachariah's eyes met, their faces seeming to gloat smugly at one another, before they turned to face the visibly shaken Castiel. Zachariah grinned and responded, "That's where true love comes in."

Castiel could only stare. True love?

But, it was Azazel's turn to speak now. "I believe you have already met my children before now, haven't you?"

Castiel nodded, chest tightening as Azazel's smirk lifted even higher on his face. "So, it wouldn't be farfetched to believe that you ran into one of them again, after so many years, and a long lost romance was, ah, rekindled?"

Castiel turned his head in horror to look at the three people seated at his right. Bela was flashing her wide-mouthed smile at him as she batted her thickly mascaraed eyes. She seemed confident as she leaned towards him, her ample breasts practically resting on her brother's plate. The woman was notorious for having already been divorced three times, each time to extremely wealthy men at least twice her age. She was commonly referred to as a gold-digger, and that was in the very polite circles….

Tom seemed bored with the conversation, his gaze fixed listlessly on some object in the distance. It would have been strange, if Castiel had not known from past experiences that the man was just like that all the time. He had always been a dull, slow man, which had prompted the media's suggestions that he was unfit to take over the company from his father.

Past both him and Bela, sat Meg. She was the real black sheep of the family. An early start into drugs landed her into a rehab facility at the tender age of fourteen. After her release, she was immediately back into the club and drug scene, emerging after several years of poor decisions with several tattoos, three felonies (which were swept under the rug with the help of her father), and the rumor of a baby (which no amount of money or influence could successfully keep hidden). Her reputation got so bad at one point that the news and entertainment stations were actually keeping track of the spans of time when she WASN'T caught on camera causing trouble or acting out. She was like Gabriel, minus the magical ability to come out of situations on her feet.

All in all, the three candidates to be Castiel's true love were slim pickings at best.

He made an effort to rally. "I- I don't think anyone would realistically believe that I could be romantically interested in ANY of your children, Azazel." Castiel stated the fact bluntly.

Surely, both Zachariah and Azazel could understand the practicality of the matter...?

Unfortunately, Azazel met Castiel's words with a shrug. "I know it isn't… ideal. But, I just can't trust that you will go through with the merger, especially in a timely manner. I want insurance that our two companies WILL be joined with no one dragging their feet and that there will be NO questions in the matter of ownership. That requires a bit more than your promise under duress. All that's needed is a marriage contract that entails half the ADA to your spouse, and we'll all be golden! We can return the missing money as soon as the ink is dry on the marriage documents. The company is saved, the CPOA is merged with it, and we ALL get what we want! It's so easy, you see?"

Castiel did see. It would have been his only loophole, if they hadn't beaten him to it. As long as his father or brother re-emerged eventually, then his decisions in their absence could be legally contended. The merger could possibly be overturned.

However, if his ownership of the company was tied into a marriage, then there was no way withdraw the rights to the ADA, even if the rightful owners returned.

Castiel swallowed dryly. "How do you expect to pull this off? If we already have three offices that are going to receive closure notices this next week, then how many will be shut down by the time this ridiculous marriage scheme comes to fruition? Half the company could be closed, and millions lost, before then."

Zachariah chuckled and Azazel's smirk flashed again. The overwhelming smugness of the two men was infuriating. Castiel resisted the urge to flee before they could answer, dreading their response.

"You've already done us a favor there, Castiel." Zachariah grinned.

Castiel blinked in surprise. "...When?""

"Your little 'avoidance' of the 'girlfriend question' on the Cathy Campbell show ring a bell? Oh, it was fantastic! You set the stage nicely with that one. Now the entire world already suspects that you have a secret lover tucked away. Of course, they don't realize that it's a grease monkey in Kansas. All we have to do is throw the name of one of these lucky kids to the press, and BOOM! Everyone will assume you've been sneaking around together for God knows how long." He motioned to Azazel's children, his face beaming.

"Wh-what about Dick? Most of the company knows we dated for several months before I went to Kansas. Did you plan for that, too?" Castiel asked, a slow anger burning it's way through him.

Zachariah shrugged broadly, "Hey! No relationship is perfect! Sometimes perspective is exactly what a couple needs to realize they belong to together. You had a minor falling out, let's say a 'trial separation', and you came out of it more in love than ever. It beautiful AND believable! The public will eat it up!" Beside him, Azazel nodded sagely. "And, bonus! You can keep him around after the marriage. I'm sure your prospective spouse here, whichever you choose, will be willing to look the other way."

Castiel could only shake his head in disbelief. "You're insane. Both of you. You realize that, right?"

"We'll let the history books and our bank accounts be the judges of that. All you need to worry about is which of the fun kids you want to tie the knot with. What do you say?" Zachariah raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Castiel felt panic course through him. "What? I- I have to choose right now?!"

"Well, you said it- the first offices get closure notices starting this next week. If you want to be the hero who saves them all, the sooner you put a ring on it, the better."

"I can't just-!" Castiel realized he was close to pleading, but he couldn't help it. "I need time!"

"Well, you don't really have any, buddy. Clock's a-tickin'. Don't tell me you're going to sit back while hundreds of people are cast out into the street."

"Just wait. Can't we postpone the closures? At least until the end of the week? At least give me some time to weigh the options. And the media will have a chance to pick up on the romance angle before it's suddenly dropped in their laps. All I need is a week." Castiel hated to sound as if he was begging. It was degrading. Everything about this was abhorrent to him. Not only were these men manipulating his father's company, but now even his life was being controlled by their whims.

Zachariah frowned. He cast a quick look to Azazel, who was staring intently at Castiel, as if he didn't trust him enough to grant him a week. Hell, if Castiel could somehow come up with a plan in that short amount of time, then he would gladly use it. But, it seemed like the two men had tied the noose too tightly around his neck. He couldn't see any way around this.

After a tense few moments of hard thinking, Zachariah gave a short nod. "Okay, fine. Take a week, spend some quality time with the future Mrs. or Mr. Novak," He chuckled at his own humor, "then I expect to have a surprise engagement announcement by Friday. And a quick turnaround for the marriage paperwork to be signed that following week. How's that sound? In just under two weeks you'll be honeymooning wherever the fuck you want, while the ADA slash CPOA is rebuilding stronger than ever under our leadership!"

He flashed Castiel a bright smile, but it wasn't returned.

"...Fine. One week." Castiel heard himself mutter.

One week to announce that he was marrying into the family of his family's most hated competitor.

One week to choose one of the three as his spouse.

One week to lose control of his father's company.

…O_O…

After the brunch meeting ended, and the table of guests had left, several waiters were allowed to clear up the table.

Just as they were collecting the last of the plates and silverware, a small form crawled almost completely unnoticed from his hiding place under the table.

One waiter happened to see the man appear, and cast him a confused look.

Gabriel was outfitted in a stolen waiter uniform from the back of the restaurant, which he had donned before stashing himself under the table just before Azazel and his group arrived. He held up a fork in explanation to the staring waiter. "Don't worry, I got it." He sat the fork onto the man's stack of plates and tried to force a smile as he walked hurriedly away before the man could raise an alarm or ask questions.

Gabriel had just spent over an hour crouched uncomfortably under a damn table, dodging legs and feet while listening with compounding rage to the conversation going on above him.

The nerve.

The fucking NERVE of those bastards, threatening Cassie.

Threatening the company.

Threatening Dean, who, yes, was admittedly an idiot, but still NOT involved in any of this.

Oh, he was going to make sure they were knocked off their high horses- HARD...

They would be stuck in a dark, dingy prison cell for years by the time he was through with them.

And all they would have to look forward to in that long, lonely stretch of time would be a monthly mail delivery of prescription-strength foot powder from Yours Truly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is- the bad guys' plans laid out. Billions of dollars in missing money threatening to cripple the ADA and shut down branches everywhere. Castiel can stop it, and get all the missing money back, but only by marrying one of Azazel's children.
> 
> Easy day, right...?
> 
> What next, you ask!? Read on to find out...


	33. Reality Checks and Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting so close to the ending- EXCITING! Thanks for the comments and kudos!

It was late at night when Dick heard a door close in the hallway outside his room, followed by the sound of hurrying footsteps passing by his door.

When he saw the time, he frowned to himself.

It was close to the ten o'clock curfew, and tonight was the worst possible night for one of the executives to violate that policy. Herds of reporters and protesters were camped outside all exits of the building. It would be nearly impossible to get by them without being seen.

You'd have to be an idiot to try.

It was probably that ridiculous flirt, Balthazar. Who else would flaunt the rules so recklessly? The man was a nuisance.

Hoping to catch him red-handed, Dick hurried over to his door to see if it really was the british man. After ruining a potentially good night of sleep the previous evening, Dick was eager to get back at Balthazar if the opportunity presented itself.

Unable to see anyone through the peephole, he quietly opened the door and stuck his head out.

He caught sight of the familiar form of Castiel's back before the other man ducked quickly into the stairwell.

And were those sheets he was carrying...?

Damn.

…-^o^-…

"Hey there."

Ryan turned in his chair to meet familiar blue eyes. "Oh- it's you!" The young man responded with a start as he was captured by the deep blue orbs as the strobe lights fluttered across the man's face. He recognized him from several nights earlier, but even more so from the television over the past few days. Which made the fact that the new ADA head was grinning and leaning heavily into his personal space even more of a shock.

Well, no sense turning his nose up at good fortune. Ryan gestured to the empty seat beside him, indicating the man should sit. He did, with an ungraceful thump that rattled the entire table.

"It's Castiel, right?"

The blue eyed man nodded emphatically with a sun-bright smile, apparently thrilled that Ryan remembered his name. Ryan's own smile faltered at the incredible sight.

The guy was ridiculously handsome...

….and smashed, Ryan came to realize quickly.

"You have such-such-such pretty green eyes! I lurvem! They're so green and- and pretty…." Castiel gushed smittenly for about the twentieth time as he leaned heavily against the Ryan's side. Ryan tried not to appear as annoyed as he was, but this was NOT the sexy reunion he had been hoping for ever since recognizing the man on television. The guy Ryan had met at this same club before had been level-headed and cutely-aloof.

This drunk version was close to obnoxious, irking Ryan's last remaining nerves.

When he wasn't obsessing over his eyes, he was calling him by the wrong damn name. Who the hell was 'Dean'? A boyfriend? He HAD said on television that he was like, 'Bi' or out of the closet or something….

The music changed as a DJ somewhere close to the dance floor switched to a new song. It sounded vaguely familiar, maybe classic rock. The crowd seemed to become more excited on the dance floor, their bodies twisting as they threw their hands up to flash the hand sign for 'Rock on'. Ryan barely even noticed, but the man beside him squeezed his arm excitedly, alcohol-soaked breath brushing across the younger man's face..

"You going to s-sing for me, Dean? Pl-ea-se? I wanna-na ter hear your pretty voice. Wanna see you shake your butt for me, pleeaasseee?" His handsome face stared up at Ryan, eyes full of hope.

Okay, so he WAS kind of cute when he was pleading like that. But no way in hell Ryan was going to sing and dance or do any embarrassing shit like that in public just to get laid.

Probably.

Maybe…?

He really was a hottie…

Plus, this guy was, like, richer than a Senator, and he was hanging on Ryan's arm like he would die if they were separated. Too bad most of his friends were still elsewhere bar hopping. He just needed to keep the dude attached to him for another forty-five minutes or so, just long enough for his friends to make it to the club and witness the undeniable awesomeness that was happening.

In the meantime…

Ryan shifted, digging into his back pocket for his cellphone. He needed to get some kind of proof. Who'd believe him otherwise?

He didn't even need to bother being subtle. The dude was so wasted, he would probably just pose with Ryan willingly as it was.

Just as Ryan brought the camera up in front of them to snap a selfie, Castiel leaned close, hot, whiskey-laced breath on his ear and asked lowly, "Can we go somewhere? I'm so horny, Dean." His hand migrated to Ryan's crotch.

Ryan dropped his phone with a heavy thud onto the table as his wide green eyes turned to meet Castiel's deep-sea blue ones in the dim, flickering lights of the club.

He tried to speak, but his words died in a rushed inhale of gasping breath.

He tried again, managing to stutter a "Y-yeah!"

Castiel graced him with another beaming smile, reaching for Ryan's arm and tugging it.

The younger man didn't need any encouragement.

Holy fuck! I'm seriously going to get to like, at LEAST third base with a smoking hot millionaire! Or was it billionaire? Whatever- it was fucking ON!

They stood to leave. Somehow, though, Castiel's wobbly knees slammed into an empty chair beside him, hard.

He pitched forward.

Ryan reached out just in time to catch the man's flailing arm as he stumbled heavily into several nearby people. Twelve-Dollar drinks went flying, soaking even more people. A dozen or so hostile faces all turned to snap angrily at the man, already shouting their annoyance at his drunken clumsiness.

As their eyes searched out and fell upon him, it was as if they suddenly had an epiphany, their mouths slamming shut mid-rant. Several peered at him closer, recognition beginning to cross their faces.

One of them, a man wearing a tacky striped tank top, stepped closer to Castiel, who Ryan was practically holding up on unsteady feet, and gasped with shock, "No shit, man! Isn't he that Novak-dude? Amelia! Hey, I think that's him, seriously! Look!" He pointed a finger in Castiel's dazed face as he called for his friends.

More people suddenly began crowding them, staring closely at Castiel's teetering frame and chattering with excitement. Several busted out their cell phones with lightening speed to try and snap quick pictures of him.

Castiel shied away from them, throwing his arm over Ryan's shoulder and whispering slurrily into his ear again, "Mmmm-C'mon. Need you so bad-"

At that point, Ryan couldn't have cared less about basking in the pseudo-celebrity status of being seen with the man. He needed a dark spot and less clothes on both of them- five minutes ago. Fame would have to wait until after.

He shoved the drunk man through the steadily growing crowd, urging him to move faster. The bodies were packed close, but many had no idea what the fuss was about, and let them through. They made it to the even more crowded dance floor and managed to lose their excited followers as they wove through the bending, shaking and twerking bodies.

It was tough going. Each time the two were blocked and forced to temporarily halt, they found themselves ambushed and unceremoniously grinded upon by strangers with faces shadowed by the pulsating lights.

On any other night, Ryan would have returned the grinding happily, but he had more legitimate grinding to do at the moment. He swatted the many asses and pelvis' away from the extremely perplexed-looking Castiel, and continued pushing them both forward.

The crowd surged around them, shouting gleefully as the music shifted yet again, this time to some jaunty country tune. Ryan glanced nervously over his shoulder as he directed Castiel forward, towards a side exit that led to a stairwell and down to an alley. A nice, private alley…

He suddenly slammed hard into the back of the blue-eyed man with an 'Umph!' that knocked his breath out.

Castiel seemed completely unharmed, turning to grin sexily at him. Ryan bit his lip to hold back a frustrated curse.

The drunk man winked at him in a way that he probably thought looked salacious. Then, he suddenly took a step back and began… square dancing?

"Wh-what the hell are you doing?" Ryan snapped, irritated at the man delaying them from his goal. Castiel's smile flickered, then dropped completely, his eyes locking onto Ryan's with hurt and confusion.

"D-dancing…? S'not right...?" He asked hesitantly, eyes dropping to his unsteady feet with a frown, as if they were intentionally betraying him somehow.

Ryan shot the drunk man a frustrated glare, worried that the excited crowd was going to catch up to them before they could have their private time. He prepared to snap at the other man to stop fooling around so they could, well, 'fool around'.

Before he could speak over the dull pound of the annoying, crooning country song, Castiel raised his shaky hand up excitedly to indicate for Ryan to wait, smile returning in full force.

Then he spun. Like a human tornado of drunk, flailing limbs.

And thanks to momentum, and the ricochet-effect of bouncing off the many bodies surrounding him, he continued spinning.

In just a matter of seconds, everyone in a ten foot radius was stumbling and slamming into their neighbors, pitching hard into one another with angry shouts and screams.

Before Castiel could finally teeter to a full stop, a terror-stricken Ryan had him by his arm, dragging him hastily over piles of furious, cursing dancers.

Behind him, he heard the low sound of Castiel giggling over the music, like the insane person he clearly was, followed by a triumphant, 'Nailed it!'

Ugh, fuck my life, Ryan thought mortified. This guy had better be as good at making-out as he looks….

The younger man finally pulled them past the panicking edge of the crowd and rushed to slip out the exit. The door shut with a loud bang behind them, abruptly cutting off the loud sounds of music and people from inside.

Ryan half-carried the drunk Castiel down the dimly lit stairwell and out into the graffiti-covered alley.

Not bothering to waste anymore time, Ryan shoved Castiel roughly up against the damp wall, lips crushing together. Castiel seemed to catch on fast, wrapping his arms around the younger man and sloppily returning the kiss.

The young man hurriedly trailed his hands down Castiel's waist, reaching between his legs and squeezing. Castiel let out a low, hungry hiss that sent shudders through Ryan's entire body. God- the man's voice-!

"Mmmm. Fuck, yeah, babe. Mm-want you inside me so bad. Let's do it- right here, okay?" Ryan asked, desperate, as he gave Castiel another squeeze, loving the gravelly sound that came from the man. "Can you do that? Huh, baby? Take me right here, right now?" He trailed his mouth over Castiel's pale throat, nipping and sucking madly as he waited for an answer.

To his surprise, Castiel's hands came up to his chest and pushed him back firmly. Ryan almost growled, but managed to bite his lip as he met the man's eye. He looked…confused.

"Take-? Take you? But…you don't…Dean doesn't…?"

Ryan didn't like the sudden distrust in Castiel's eyes. Obviously he had just said something wrong. And the alcohol wasn't going to keep the handsome man oblivious forever. He had to hurry- before his confused date sobered up enough to change his mind.

"What-? You're not a pitcher? C'mon, man. I want you so bad. It's fine- you'll be fine." He snaked his hand down reach for Castiel again, but the other man grabbed his arm and tried to step away.

Ryan pulled back for a moment, lost. "Hey! What the fuck, dude? Come on, we're having fun, right? Listen, if you're not into that, no problem." He grabbed Castiel by his arm and pulled him back to press him up against the wall. If the dude bailed now, he wouldn't even have a picture to prove all this to his friends. He needed to calm the guy down. He seemed like he was freaking out about 'topping' or something. "Look, we can just jerk each other off. That's cool, right, babe? You'd like that, too, huh?"

Castiel frowned up at him as if really seeing him for the first time, and whimpered accusingly, "You…you're not him. You're not..."

Ryan couldn't even stop the words from spilling out almost hysterically, "No shit!" This earned him another confused frown from the blue-eyed man, and Ryan finally snapped. "I am not your goddamn 'Dean'. I never even said I was! My name is Ryan, for fuck's sake! Now are we doing this, or what, man?!"

"NO- YOU ARE NOT!" Ryan was suddenly yanked roughly away from Castiel, landing hard in a heap on the dark, filthy street.

"What the-?!" Ryan turned back to find a tall, dark-haired man pulling Castiel into his arms and asking if he was okay. Ryan immediately recognized him as the same man who had interrupted them at their first meeting.

This time, however, the stranger was wearing only a T-shirt, silk pajama pants and expensive loafers. He looked like he was dressed for bed, not the club.

Ryan was too furious and embarrassed to care. He rolled onto his feet angrily and shrieked at the two men, "I don't know what kind of weird shit you two are into, but I'm not dealing with it!" He turned to glare at Castiel and snapped, "You and- and 'Dean'," he gestured angrily at at the tall man, "are fucking crazy! Next time, don't fucking lead people on, you damn tease!"

Castiel's face remained fixed in drunken confusion, but the taller man's face darkened. "Hey- watch your mouth you little punk!"

"What'd you fucking say to me-!?"

A door nearby crashed open, and suddenly Ryan was swarmed on all sides by huge men in dark suits.

Several strong arms grabbed the terrified young man roughly as he let out a small squeak. From the entrance of the alley, a massive figure in a black suit strolled into the flickering streetlight leisurely. The enormous stranger cast a quick, unconcerned glance at Ryan, then turned his attention to the other two men.

"Is Mr. Novak alright?"

"Yes. Yes, I think he's fine, Uriel. Just drunk." The tall brunette answered, pulling Castiel even closer and rubbing the man's back.

"You did the right thing by calling me, Mr. Roman. We'll get you both back into the ADA building safely. And we'll take care of… everything here." He turned his cold brown eyes back to Ryan.

Ryan shook with fear at the thinly veiled threat. A voice that sounded too high-pitched and terrified to be his own stuttered out, "I-I-I'm cool, uh, Sir. Seriously! I didn't even see anything or do anything! Promise! I won't say shit, okay? I- I just want to go home, p-please?" He choked out.

There was a silence in the alley for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, the huge man gave a single nod of his head. Ryan felt the hands holding him release.

He didn't stop running until he was five blocks away.

…-^o^-…

At first, Dick had worried that Castiel was actually so shaken and stunned by being man-handled in the club's alley, that he was in shock. Dick had watched as his Ex sat in a stony silence during the ride back to the ADA in the Security car.

It was worrying.

What if Castiel was traumatized by that punk? What if Dick hadn't arrived when he did? Would Castiel have had the presence of mind to say 'no' and safely leave?

Dick wasn't sure whether he should be furious with Castiel or comforting the man.

He was leaning towards furious.

Hell, he'd had to shimmy down knotted sheets from a second story window, landing in a damn dumpster, all in a desperate attempt to follow the man!

THEN, he had chased after him for several blocks to that damn club, only to lose him inside while Dick was stuck at the entrance arguing with a heavily-muscled bouncer.

After a heated row that almost came to blows (which Dick was sure he would NOT have won), the manager had appeared and recognized him from TV. Dick had demanded the use of a phone to put in a quick call to Uriel, before scrambling around the enormous interior and flashing lights of the club searching for Castiel.

After a hectic hour, he had finally spotted the man, to his horror, spinning wildly in the center of a mass of toppling bodies. Did had barreled through the press of bodies just in time for that bratty little punk to pull him out of sight.

If Dick had been just a few minutes slower reaching him in the alley…

And then, the cherry on the damn cupcake of his life- the snot-nosed little shit had called him 'Dean'.

Because it wasn't bad enough that the man was the source of Castiel being pissed with him for the rest of eternity. No! He had to have that damn mechanic thrown in his face at every possible opportunity as a not-so-friendly reminder of who he wasn't. Who he would NEVER be to Castiel.

Dick HATED that name.

They arrived in ADA's underground parking structure with the full security detail. Uriel gave Dick a small smirk. "You take good care of the Boss, okay Mr. Roman?" Then he winked knowingly.

Dick wasn't in the mood for un-subtle innuendoes. He just wanted to haul Castiel upstairs and call it a night. He hadn't slept well in days, and this night was already half over.

Correction, morning. A glance at his watch showed that it was, in fact, one-forty a.m. Sunday morning.

Dick opted to ignore Uriel's annoying comment and half-carried Castiel into the empty elevator. He had a lot he wanted to say to the man beside him, but he held it all in. It would be useless, anyway. Castiel smelled like a bottle of Jack Daniel's. The strong scent was overwhelming in the small space of the elevator.

He couldn't help but wonder, briefly, what had set Castiel over the edge like this?

He had never seen Castiel drunk in those few months they had spent together. He had heard stories, of course. Mostly involving Gabriel. And some involving Balthazar. The worst involving both….

But, this was the first time he had actually witnessed Castiel so inebriated.

It was alarming.

The bell dinged for the sixth floor and Dick gratefully slid out, holding Castiel up as they began walking down the hall. Before they could get to Castiel's room, the other man stopped firmly just in front of Dick's room door.

"Hey- come on. We're taking you to your room. Let's go." He tried to urge the man forward, but he only leaned closer towards the door. "Castiel," Dick stated firmly, "We are going to your room to put you to bed. Do you understand? Are you still drunk?"

Castiel shook his head slowly, to Dick's surprise. Then the man spoke quietly, "No sheets."

Dick remembered then that the man had used his bedding to scale down the second floor window earlier that night in a fashion all too reminiscent of his older brother.

He frowned, thinking, then huffed an annoyed sigh. Nothing for it.

He pulled his key card from his pajama pocket and let Castiel into his room. He took the fact that the man was no longer stumbling as a good sign.

Once inside the spacious room, Dick left the light off for Castiel's sake, and guided him over to the bed, where he collapsed onto his back. Dick made quick work of pulling off the the man's shoes and placing his cell phone and wallet onto the nightstand. Castiel lay limply on the bed, a hand thrown over his face as Dick moved busily around him.

"I'll grab you some water, okay?" Dick stepped through the darkness into the small bathroom and poured water from the faucet into a small cup. When he returned, it was to find Castiel sitting up on the edge of the bed, his shadowed profile hunched forward.

"I should have never left you."

Dick froze, his heart suddenly pounding loudly, echoing in his ears.

"If I had just stayed with you… we could have been happy. I was happy with you, you know?"

The quiet rasp of Castiel's voice cut through the dark room, surrounding Dick where he stood, locked in place by the words.

"Y-you're tired. And still drunk. Drink some water and go to sleep, alright?" Dick tried not sound bitter. Hearing Castiel say the words he had been hoping to hear for months now… it just didn't sound right. It was exactly what he thought he wanted, but there was a strange, hopeless tinge to the confession that hinted at more than just regular regret.

"I'm serious, Dick. I was happy. You're…you're so kind to me. You've always been…"

Unable to hold back another second, Dick let the words fall out in a rush, "That's because I- I love you. I- I think you're perfect, Castiel." The admission poured out of him, filling the quiet air with all the emotion that Dick had been holding back ever since Castiel had disappeared from their shared, seemingly happy life an eternity ago.

He couldn't see Castiel's reaction in the darkness. The silence loomed heavy as he waited.

Restless, Dick finally stepped forward, setting the small cup down roughly, splashing water onto the nightstand. He reached out to cup Castiel's face, trying to determine how he felt after hearing Dick's heart-felt confession. If he understood the words Dick had spoken.

A pair of warm hands smoothed their way up Dick's sides and around to his back, tugging him forward gently.

Castiel tasted like whiskey, causing Dick to wince, but he didn't dare pull away. He felt the other man's hands slip into his short hair, just as Castiel tipped himself backwards and pulled Dick with him onto the bed.

The familiarity of it all was like listening to a comfortable old song. The same smooth rhythm. The same gentle pace.

Castiel's hips bucked up, drawing a harsh moan from Dick as he tried to grind back, entwining their legs together. Dick slid his hands under Castiel's shirt, feeling the satiny smoothness of warm skin. He needed to taste it, so he pulled the edges all the way up, breaking his mouth from Castiel's, and slipping the shirt over his head and off his body. He was left with the long length of Castiel's smooth chest to run his lips over freely. Castiel's ragged breaths urged him on as the man's hands wrapped and threaded gently through Dick's hair.

When Dick finally glided his lips over Castiel's nipple, the man bucked his hips again, shuddering under him. The coarse fabric separating them was a frustrating barrier. Dick felt Castiel's leave his hair to trail a warm path down his shoulders and over his back, before leaving him completely. In the silence he heard the familiar sound of a zipper and clothes rustling, and felt Castiel's body twist and shimmy out of his clothes smoothly. With a kick, they were gone. Dick took advantage of the newly exposed skin to slide his hands down, feeling nothing but smooth skin. Nothing separating him. All of Castiel laid out before him, silk and warm flesh.

"God- you're so perfect." Dick murmured, hands trying to memorize every curve and dip that he had been without.

Castiel bucked again, rubbing himself against the cool silk of Dick's pajama pants. His breathing was becoming harsher, more ragged. Dick raised himself up quickly to pull his own shirt off hastily, desperate for the feel of heated skin sliding across heated skin.

He lowered himself back down over Castiel, letting the other man wrap his arms around his neck to pull him back down, and returning his lips to trail hungry kisses up his neck, over the rough stubble of his cheeks, to breath in the salty taste of-

Dick stopped. Castiel's arms tightened, trying to hold him down, as a choked voice begged, "Please, don't. Just- just stay." Dick ignored him, pushing himself up, and breaking their embrace.

He rolled from the bed and walked on numb, shaking legs to the wall to flip on the lights.

The brightness was blinding after the cool darkness, but Dick's eyes adjusted quickly enough to catch the streaks of tears covering Castiel's face before the man rolled sideways, burying his face into the pillows with a muffled sob.

Dick stood by the wall, hands clenched at his sides as waves of mixed emotions washed over him. Fury. Sadness. Guilt. Need.

He couldn't lock down any single feeling. He just stared at the naked man in his bed, watching as his shoulders shook as he inhaled quiet sobs into the pillows.

"…You-" Dick's voice cracked and he had to swallow and take a breath before he could speak again. "You have to leave. Now. You need to leave right now."

Castiel was silent, his gasping sobs the only response.

"I mean it. Get out! Now! I don't care where you go- just GO."

Muffled by the pillows, "…no."

Dick felt his calm snap.

He didn't deserve this! Not after…after putting himself out there.

After confessing how much he loved the man.

He couldn't let Castiel crush him a second time..

"Fine! You want to make this difficult? Do I have to drag you out of here naked? Throw you out into the hall?! Get your damn clothes on and LEAVE!"

Nothing.

Dick growled with anger as he stomped over to the nightstand, snatching Castiel's cell phone off it He did a brief search of the contacts before hitting 'Call'.

"…-Balthazar- No- it's Dick. Come to my room and get Castiel- now!" Dick ground the order out and punched 'End Call' without waiting for a response. He threw the phone back onto the table with a clatter, casting one more angry glare at Castiel's huddled form before yanking the sheets out from under his body, then throwing them over him.

In just a matter of seconds, Dick heard the faint sound of a door opening down the hall and a rush of footsteps. He threw open his door before Balthazar could even begin to knock.

The blond man was only wearing boxers and a cotton v-neck shirt. He cast a quick look of confusion at Dick before stepping inside. Dick shut the door and turned.

He watched, arms crossed angrily, as Balthazar frowned for several seconds at the bed where Castiel was still laying under the sheets, his bare back still exposed.

When Balthazar slowly turned to Dick, his eyes could have frozen flames.

Dick blanched. He'd never seen Balthazar so pissed before. He thought the cynical smirk was a permanent feature that the Brit was born with.

Apparently not. The look he now wore made Dick instantly regret calling the man for help. A drunk, naked ex-boyfriend sobbing in his bed seemed a lot more bearable compared to the slow, painful death Balthazar seemed to be planning for him….

In a panic, he stammered, "D-don't you give me that look! I didn't even DO anything! He- he snuck out, and, he- he got really drunk, then I thought he was sober, but he- when we, uh, we started to…um…" The cold, steely blue eyes were still boring into him and Dick felt his throat tighten, making it almost impossible to breath.

"Try that again." Balthazar's voice sliced through the silent room like a knife.

"S'not his fault, Balthazar," Both men turned to stare at Castiel's flushed face raised briefly from the pillow. "I- I got drunk and acted stupid. He was just trying to be nice. Leave him alone." He sniffed a few times, blinking tiredly, and dropped his head back down onto the pillow with a soft 'whump'.

Balthazar turned back to Dick with a calculating frown, eyes darting quickly over his bare chest and... further down, to the obvious signs of waning arousal.

Dick felt a hot blush creeping up his neck at the man's scrutiny.

Balthazar's sharp eyes returned to Dick's and he stated with quiet disapproval too low for Castiel to hear, "I'm disappointed in you."

Dick's mouth fell open to argue, or at least try again to defend his actions, but Balthazar was already turning away from him to walk over to the bed.

He plopped himself down on Castiel's far side, then, to Dick's horror, climbed in under the sheets and lay down beside him.

"Wh-! Hey! What do you think you're doing? Take him to your room!" Dick tried to sound angry, but it came out more like a weak plea.

Balthazar huffed a sigh and raised his head, blue eyes locking on Dick's, "Too late- he's already asleep. Do YOU want to be caught carrying our naked boss out your room at two in the morning? No? Then shut up, turn the lights off, and come to bed, Dear." His mouth finally returned to the familiar smirk as he winked at Dick, then flopped his head back down, snuggling deeper into the sheets.

Dick stood by the door for several seconds, staring at the two men lying in his bed as if will-power alone could make them disappear.

He was tired. He was frustrated. He really didn't need this in his life right now…

"Oh, stop acting like a bloody virgin on her wedding night and come to bed, for the love of God. I'm not going to 'do' anything." Balthazar's exasperated voice called out.

Dick huffed angrily under his breath, but flicked the lights back off before moving to the opposite side of Castiel and climbing in.

He was sure that he would never get to sleep after the monumental fiasco this night had been. But, after just a few moments of listening to the steady breathing of the other men, he began to drift into a warm, comfortable slumber.

His last thought before slipping away was of the irony that he usually struggled to find just ONE person to cuddle with at night.

…-^o^-…

Dean slowly awoke Sunday morning with a smile playing across his face.

It was warm under the blankets. His body was nice and relaxed. The sun was casting golden rays into the room. The scent of pie was wafting into room.

Perfect Sunday.

Wait- PIE?!

He flung himself from the bed and struggled hurriedly into pants and a shirt that were lying on the messy floor. He grabbed a pair of tennis shoes from the bottom of his closet and shoved his feet into them fast.

Maybe he could get the window open without making too much noise…?

No- the camper was right there in the driveway just a short distance away. If either of his parents were out there….

No, he couldn't risk it. Plus, he would need the Impala- unless he wanted to scale fences and duck through backyards for eight blocks. Shit…!

The impala keys were on the table by the front door, which was right in sight of the kitchen doors. If his mom was in there…?

He had to risk it. A quick dash- that's what he needed.

Run out, grab the keys, throw open the front door, and sprint to the Impala. Yes! He could do this!

Taking several deep, pie-scented breaths, Dean swung his door open-

-and almost punted Lucifer.

The kitten had planted himself just in front of his door, ears perked, waiting. Dean saw his foot swinging towards the little creature with just enough time to catch himself, the momentum jerking him hard into the opposite wall with a rattling 'THUD!'

So much for stealth.

Dean recovered fast, desperation fueling his movements. He regained his balance, long strides taking him across the living room, then up and over the sofa with surprising grace. He landed with his hand already outstretched to scoop the keys up, other hand reaching out for the doorknob at the same time.

But, his hand found only an empty bowl where his keys should have been.

Fuck-!

He'd have to make a break for it on foot after all..

His hands fumbled with door knob anxiously, realizing too late that it was locked AND bolted.

"Good morning, Sweetie."

Dean's body stiffened as fear locked-up his limbs. He turned slowly towards his mother, who was standing in the frame of the kitchen doors. He made an effort to smile, but his face felt tight.

"Oh, hey there, Mom…."

"Your father took the impala over to Bobby's. And Sam and Jess stole Lisa away to head out to that big baby store a few cities over. They'll be gone most of the day." She smiled widely at him, but her eyes remained sharp. "Looks like it's just you and me. I made pie."

…

"You're not going eat?"

Dean jumped a bit in the kitchen chair.

His mother was seated across from him, sipping her coffee as she leaned back, watching him.

"Uh, yeah. Just, er-" He fumbled with his fork, cutting off a small chunk. It smelled amazing, and the crust crumbled just right.

Nobody made pie like Mary Winchester.

It was practically killing Dean not to inhale the entire slice. Hell- the entire pie. Normally nothing would stop him from doing so.

But, this was a trap. He knew it was. Could sense it.

The pie was a lie.

His mother was trying to get him to let his guard down. It was sure-fire way to get him to talk. Worked every time when he was younger. Well, he wasn't a pimply faced kid anymore. And he'd be damned if-

"So, tell me about your boyfriend."

Damn.

…

Mary watched as her oldest's face went from pale to flushing red in a matter of seconds.

This kid….

It wasn't that she thought her son was stupid. No- he was certainly sharp. She'd spent his early years in principals' offices, police departments, even a few bar manager's offices having his cleverness explained- in detail. He was smart.

So why the hell he was putting himself through this mess was just beyond her. He should know better. Anyone with a brain could see exactly what was going on. Except him.

Ellen had texted Mary several weeks ago, and mentioned off-hand that the latest topic of conversation around the Road House was that Dean had a man-crush.

Both Mary and John had gotten a good laugh out of that.

Then she had texted again.

And again. And again.

Then after several more alarming texts came the big one: Lisa's back and pregnant.

Mary already had the TV show's producer on the phone and the camper packed up by that afternoon.

Once they made it to Lawrence, Mary had shot straight over to the Road House, not even bothering to stop at home first. She, Ellen, and John all watched the big interview together.

Castiel Novak.

She couldn't say her son had poor taste...

But was this man really someone that Dean would get hung up on? Could Ellen be right? Was Dean really crushed over their break-up?

Mary knew better. All she needed was to get her son alone. Twenty minutes and some apple pie and she would know for sure.

Out loud, Mary offered, "I watched the interview on Friday with Ellen. I like him. Plus, Ellen says he's a sweetie-pie, and you know how tough she is on people…."

Dean shifted in his seat, eyes looking anywhere but at his mother.

Mary frowned. Clearly she was going to have to lead her son into talking about this.

"That Cathy Campell, though. What a bitch! Setting him up like that!"

At last she got a positive response. Dean's face broke into a scowl and he nodded in silent agreement.

Well, that's a start.

"But, that Castiel held his own, huh? Didn't even flinch. I like that about him. Ellen said he seems like the shy quiet type, but he's pretty tough."

Dean's eyes flashed for a moment and he gave another small nod as he busied himself with moving his pie around on his plate.

Okay. Time to flip the 'Mom' button.

"I'm sorry to hear about the break-up. Are you okay, honey?" She reached her hand out to place it over his as he stiffened.

Dean made a small choking sound, his eyes glancing briefly to the door. Mary was prepared for him to make a run for it. Let him try. See how he liked running down the street with his mother chasing after him. She'd done it before. She may be old, but she could still embarrass the hell out of him.

She waited patiently, keeping her hand over his and feeling the near-imperceptible trembling.

At last, he spoke, "Ellen has a big mouth."

Mary almost snapped at him, but caught herself.

No, that's what he wants. He's trying to rile her into an argument so he can storm out. Nice try, kid.

She tried something else instead. An ambush.

"Oh? So, what? It's her fault for telling me you were happily dating a handsome man? Her fault for keeping me updated? For actually PICKING UP the phone and checking in with me even though she isn't my own flesh and blood? Is that what I'm hearing?" Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat, cringing as his mother berated him. "Two months! Two whole months since the last time you called me! And you barely said five words to me then! To think, I bust my ass raising you, feeding you, trying to teach you right from wrong, and for what? So that you can pretend like I don't exist!? So you can intentionally keep me out of your life like you're ashamed of me!? I have to hear about my son's boyfriend from a second-hand source, like he-" She turned her head and made a very convincing sniffling sound, wiping away pretend tears, "Like he doesn't even LOVE me enough to tell me himself!"

Dean watched her, horrified. "Th-that's not-! Mom, I just- it was really, uh, sudden, you know? I was planning on calling to tell you about Cas and, uh, everything- I swear!"

Mary felt a jolt of victory. Got him hooked. Now, to roll with it…

"Well, I guess I understand. At least we're together now, and you can tell me all about him." She made a scene of wiping her face again before smiling brightly. Across from her Dean's eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh. Uh. Yeah. Yeah, I mean. There's not much. I-I bet Ellen already told you everything, so-"

Mary reached back over to take his hand again. "But I want YOU to tell me. All about this 'Cas'." She flashed him her sweetest smile.

He frowned and blushed, looking away. After a few seconds, he mumbled, "…fine."

…

One hour, twenty-three minutes and six pie slices later…

…

"And so- you know me- I was like, what is Cas's weakness? And then I was all like- ohohoho! Got 'em now! So, I make sure he's watching from across the field. And he's all, like, smirking cuz he thinks he's already won. And I start taking my shirt off! Mom- his face! It was like, 'oh, fuck'. But, then…"

Mary was rolling with laughter. After she had gotten him nice and warmed up, it was like the floodgates had opened. She listened, grinning, as Dean recounted last three weeks with Castiel, paying close attention to her son's behavior.

He certainly seemed head over heels.

"So, then this jackass was all, 'at his apartment last night', and I- I don't know- saw red, or whatever. And I just swung, Mom. Just like that. But then, people were there, and they were all freaking out. Then CAS was there, and he was super-pissed. But, like, not just with me- at the other dude, too."

Dean started to slow down as he got onto the topic of Lisa's reappearance. His smile faded and he began to withdraw back into himself.

Mary waited until he got to the part where he showed up drunk at Castiel's apartment. This was the part no one really knew about. The most that they could figure, Dean had dropped in on the man completely wasted and told him about Lisa and the baby. And Castiel had bailed for San Diego immediately.

Which just didn't make ANY kind of sense. Why would Dean decide to go over there and spring such a heavy topic on the man? Especially when he seemed to like him so much? And why did Castiel choose to leave so abruptly?

Mary suspected that she knew the answer already. But, she wanted to hear her son's version first.

"So, I…I don't know, Mom. I was so trashed- I wasn't thinking right, you know? I barely remember any of that night after showing up at the Road House. I don't even know what all I said to him. All I know is I definitely talked about Lisa and… the baby. I just… I thought he would still be there in the morning. I thought I could just explain it all when I had a chance to sober up a bit. But I didn't get a chance to. He left me. Didn't even say good bye…."

Mary watched him stack up pie crumbs on his plate as he mumbled the last part.

"Honey…I'm so sorry. That must have been really tough for you."

Dean shrugged his shoulder stiffly, sad green eyes focused on his plate.

Mary chose her words carefully. "It sounds like you didn't actually want to break up."

Dean's head came up to look at her quickly before turning back to plate. He shrugged again.

"Did you want to break up, Dean?" Mary prodded gently.

Dean frowned at the question, shrugging his shoulders again. "…had to."

"You HAD to, Dean? Is that really true?"

Dean huffed angrily but didn't answer her.

Mary finally said what she had been thinking ever since she heard about the events of the break-up. Sometimes being a good mom meant being tough.

"Hon, it sounds to me like you sabotaged it on purpose." Dean's eyes snapped up, wide and defensive. Before he could snap at her she raised her hands helplessly and stated, "That's how it looks, babe. You had two choices- be with Lisa or be with Castiel. So you decided not to choose. You forced him to make the decision for the both of you."

"That's not true! I had- I had to choose Lisa. I-I love her. And the baby." Dean crossed his arms stubbornly, turning his face away from his mother.

"No. No you didn't have to choose her. And not like that." Mary tried to make her voice softer, more reasonable. "Dean, you know I love you. But, sweetie, you have to be honest with yourself. Why did you go over to his apartment that night?"

Dean's face looked pained and he didn't answer.

"You got drunk and went to him because you were afraid. Afraid that he was already going to leave you for his job. Afraid of being the one to make the big decision. You wanted him to make it. Pushed him into it, even. And he did."

"Yeah," Dean snapped abruptly. "He decided to ditch me with nothing but a snobby note. Didn't seem to have a crisis of conscience about it, either. Just packed a bag and didn't look back."

"Dean, honey…" Mary sighed, shaking her head. "It's a good thing you're so pretty, cuz you are dumb as a rock."

Dean's mouth fell open at his mother's severe statement. "Wh-what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means," Mary skewered him with a stern glare, "That both you AND Castiel are idiots."

"M-Mom-!"

"Really, Dean. How the hell have you survived this long is beyond me." Mary ran her hands across her face tiredly before meeting her son's confused eyes and stating matter-of-factly, "He LEFT because he LOVES you."

Dean looked as if he had just been slapped. He shook his head incredulously. "Wh-? No- No he DOESN'T! Mom that makes NO sense! You don't just leave someone in the dead of night because you love them. Trust me- I've done it!"

Mary spared her son another head shake before returning, "You do when you love them." Dean looked lost at her logic, so she continued as patiently as possible, "Honey, listen. When you love someone, you want them to be happy- no matter what. Even if that means you can't be with them. That's what love is, baby. Sacrifice." Mary leaned forward to take her son's hands as she held his gaze and explained softly, "Dean, walking out of that apartment was probably the hardest thing that poor man has ever had to do."

Dean's green eyes were wide as he stared at hers, and she could practically see the realization dawning behind them.

"…you- you really think…?"

Mary was already nodding her head with certainty, "Yep. He loves you so much that he freed you so you could be happy. Or, at least, he did what he thought would make you happy. A wife. A baby on the way. And he was in the way of that perfect life. He left so that you could have it. But, it didn't make you happy, did it?"

Dean's shoulders sagged as he stared down unseeing at his plate, frowning as he thought hard. Mary reached up to rub her hand over his shoulder comfortingly.

After several silent minutes, Dean choked out, "…mom?"

"Yeah, sweetheart…?"

"…I'm a fucking idiot."

"Yeah… Yeah, you are, hon. But don't worry. He is, too." She pulled him into her arms for a warm, soothing hug. "You were made for each other."

…-^o^-…

Castiel hated his life.

Hated himself.

Hated the sweltering hot body laying beside him.

Hated his painfully full bladder and the piercing ache in his skull.

He hated everything.

Whimpering helplessly, he forced his swollen eyes open.

It was barely light out, maybe early dawn. The hazy rays of the sun were just filtering in through the blinds covering the window.

He urged his stiff body to move, realizing too late that he was already hanging half-way over the side of the bed. He fell with a brain rattling thump.

He lay there on the carpeted floor for several moments, groaning as he waited for the room to stop spinning.

At last, the urge to use the bathroom overpowered his nausea and he struggled to lift himself up onto his feet..

Several flashes of memory were accosting him as he practically crawled across the floor to the bathroom, but he couldn't make sense of any of them.

The one thing that he could remember for sure was that his life was over.

Zachariah. Azazel. Uriel.

Wait, Uriel…? The vague image of Uriel appeared. Last night. Uriel had been with him.

At the…at the club.

Memories were coming back now.

The green-eyed man who was NOT Dean.

Dick.

Balthazar.

What the hell had he gotten himself into last night?!

Castiel made it to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later he was starting to feel human again. He splashed cold water on his face and met his reflection in the mirror. The sight made him grimace. He hadn't been this wasted since the last time he partied with Gabriel in Lawrence and woke up in the bushes.

Of course, the memories of Lawrence triggered his memories of Dean….

Castiel turned the icy water to full-stream and made a half-hearted effort to drown himself in the sink.

Failing, he raised his head back up and wiped his face with a towel.

This was all wrong.

He couldn't do this- punish himself by getting smashed and just…giving up.

He had to pull himself together.

His head gave another painful squeeze.

Okay, he had to SLEEP. Then he needed to come up with a plan. A way out of this insane engagement trap.

Yes. That was a good idea. Sleep, then come up with a plan. He had to get his shit together and fight. Getting hammered wasn't going to stop Zachariah and Azazel from ruining the company. He had to stop wallowing in self-pity and come up with a way out of all of this.

Feeling a fresh sense of purpose for the first time in days, Castiel stepped out of the bathroom.

His eyes fell onto the bed across the room.

Dick and Balthazar were practically fused to one another in a tight tangle of limbs.

Okay…what?

Castiel blinked and rubbed his eyes, then looked back at the bed.

Nope. Still there.

Right. There was probably a very good reason why the two men were cuddling like their lives depended on it. At least, that was what Castiel decided to tell himself for the sake of his remaining shreds of sanity.

With his entire world apparently turning upside down, Castiel walked determinedly to the nightstand, grabbed his cell phone and wallet, turned on his heel, and left the room as quietly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Was Mary's heart-to-heart enough to get Dean's ass in gear? And what about Castiel? He seems to have gained a new sense of purpose after his episode(s) last night. And then there's Gabriel and his scheming to worry about as well...
> 
> So much drama! Stay tuned!


	34. Regrets and Resolutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew...this one took a while for me to clean up. Looks like it will be the only one this evening. BUT! That only leaves *F*I*V*E* more to go!  
> Readers: Hold up, bitch. That makes thirty-nine. You have forty chapters listed. The fuck?  
> Me: Hahaha...about that...  
> Readers: You. Listed. It. As. *COMPLETE*  
> Me: Rigghhhhtttt. I did... Soooo- full disclosure- I have been working on the epilogue for the last several weeks-  
> Readers: *sharpen swords threateningly*  
> Me: -and I-I can't seem to stop adding fun/cute/sexy stuff into it-  
> Readers: *pause* We're listening...  
> Me: -including a steamy Halloween story, and a Christmas scene, and babies-  
> Readers: *gasp!* WHOSE BABIES?!  
> Me: *slyly* Well...if I told you now...  
> Readers: *whispered hatefully* ...you bitch...  
> Me: *Laughs maniacally* *cartwheels away*
> 
> But, seriously, that shit's not done yet. Sorry. Chuck-willing, I'll have it all typed up *don'tfuckinggivedeadlinesyouneverkeepyourgoddamndeadlines* this weekend...? Possibly? Hopefully, you folks won't even notice it was missing. I'll just be able to roll right into the epilogue after chapter 39. We shall see... -^o^-

"You know, I pegged you for the sort of nerd who works on a Sunday. Thanks for proving me right."

Castiel lifted his head from the paperwork he was reading over to find Meg, Azazel's second daughter, darkening the doorway of his office. She was scowling at him with her arms crossed, looking every bit like she just left her goth-motorcycle gang waiting for her outside. Honestly, how many piercings could you fit in one ear? Castiel was distracted from his horrified counting as she continued, "I really hope you appreciate the amount of problems you cause the people around you."

It was still early (barely nine a.m.) and the massive amounts of water Castiel had been drinking was only just beginning to dull the throb of his head. At the sight of the short, stout figure glaring at him, it returned with a vengeance.

"If that is your attempt to woo me into agreeing to marry you over your other siblings, I'm afraid you fell a bit short." Castiel sniped, grateful the rest of the office was empty on Sunday mornings. The idea of acting smitten over any of Azazel's children was off-putting. He wanted to make that clear to her now while he had the chance and the privacy.

To his surprise, Meg scoffed at him, her eyes looking him over as if unimpressed. "Oh, honey, pa-lease. You couldn't 'handle' me."

Castiel blinked at her in surprise as she strolled across the large office and threw herself onto the long length of couch by the far wall. Her shoes, black boots with short heels and nearly a dozen silver buckles and chains, were lifted onto the armrest as she reclined like she owned the place.

Castiel frowned. "Does that mean I can take you off my list of potential spouses?"

"Babe, let's be clear," She turned her head to cast him a condescending glance, "I was never actually ON your list. Don't get me wrong- you're no trouble to look at. But, marrying you? Hah! Why the hell would I risk making daddy-dearest happy?"

"…Sorry. Wait." Castiel had to take a moment to rearrange the thoughts in his aching head. "You mean to say you are NOT interested in helping your father take over the ADA?" He watched her closely, unsure if he was understanding her right. He knew she was the black sheep of the family, but turning down a chance to be a partial owner of a wealthy company?

From her spot on the couch, Meg snorted derisively. "Help him? Yeah, right over the side of a cliff! Bonus if I get to do the shoving personally." She smiled, flashing gleaming teeth, apparently relishing the thought.

Castiel stared at the woman, trying to piece together the puzzle she presented. Everything about her screamed rebel. She had obviously mastered the look of 'doesn't like Authority'. It was no stretch to believe that she had deep-rooted issues with her dad. And from her tone, it seemed as if she had a personal vendetta against the man. Something a little stronger than post-adolescent angst.

Before he could press her about it, she turned to square him with another pissed off look. "You better steer clear of cliffs yourself, Angel-cakes. I may be stuck getting dragged along with this bullshit scheme, but I draw the line at being woken up in the middle of the night to show face at tacky gay clubs." Castiel's expression must have shown his confusion because Meg rolled her eyes and pointed up at the large screen TV on the wall. Castiel had it turned on mute to watch the Stock Market. She heaved an annoyed sigh and said, "Try the Celebrity News station. They haven't shut up since the story broke."

Castiel picked up the remote and did as she instructed, a sense of dread building as flicked to the station.

The feeling was well-deserved. Flashing across the screen were blurry still-shots of him from the club earlier that morning. His head squeezed painfully at the reminder of his alcohol-fueled binge.

There seemed to only be three actual images of him—all poor quality, and- blessedly- with the green-eyed stranger cut off from view each time.

On top of the pictures of him, images of Bela, Meg and even Tom were thrown onto the screen, apparently from the same club that night. The reporters covering the story were chatting with barely concealed excitement.

'In addition to hitting the clubs in downtown San Diego, partying billionaire Castiel Novak may be knocking boots with the well-to-do offspring of CPOA founder, Azazel. Rumors are flying that Castiel wasn't alone at the club last night.'

'That's right, Cera! Multiple reports put all three of the CPOA heirs in the same club around the time of Mr. Novak's sighting. It begs the question, were they there together? Mind you, this is on the same day that numerous people spotted the ADA head having an intimate brunch with the family. Some people are connecting the dots, suggesting that perhaps the two corporations are not as contentious as previously believed. In fact, CPOA heir Bela, when asked about the cozy brunch shortly after, made the cryptic remark that she and Castiel Novak have 'long been friends', and were hoping to finally 'become closer' with his return to San Diego. The internet exploded at the less-than-subtle hint of a brewing romance, with some people tweeting the similarities between Romeo and Juliet, who faced their own families feuding to be together-'

Castiel turned the TV off and dropped his aching head into his hands. Leave it to Zachariah and Azazel to never miss an opportunity to flip a situation in their favor. They were fanning the flames, but Bela was practically dousing them in lighter fluid.

Meg's voice reminded him that he wasn't alone in the office. "So, yeah. Thanks for THAT. I had get up at eleven at night, wake my son and get him dressed, then leave him with one of the security thugs in their car while I got my toes stepped on all night. And for what? So my dick-Dad can gloat about getting a few steps closer to world domination? That's some horse-shit."

Castiel wasn't sure what to say. He refused to apologize. After all, none of this was his doing. He was just as much a victim. Plus, he hadn't known that Azazel would fling his children into the media's lenses so carelessly.

But he felt like he needed to say something. "I'm sorry that your son had to be woken up so late at night. I had no idea that you were going to get dragged out of bed because of my… decision to run from my problems. If it's any consolation, I think I pissed off a LOT of people over the course of the night. I can't even remember why exactly. And I woke up this morning naked, in someone else's bed, with my best friend and my ex-boyfriend spooning each other next to me."

Meg's eyes widened, impressed. "Damn, dude. You're just all fucked up, huh?"

He nodded dismally, running his hands over his tired face. He searched for a change of topic that wouldn't remind him of why his skull was pounding painfully. "I didn't realize that you even had a kid. I mean, there were rumors a few years back-"

Meg cut him off, voice bitter, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Dad makes sure it's real hush-hush, you know. Gives him a bad image. Piece of shit still tries to bring up adoption every chance he gets. Wants to hide the evidence that I'm not his 'Bela number two'." She wiggled her fingers exageratedly and rolled her eyes. " Seriously, as if ONE Bela wasn't too many as it is. Fucker."

Castiel had to hand it to Meg. She didn't mince her words. He thought that HE didn't like Azazel. Meg clearly loathed the man. And for good reason, it seemed. Trying to separate a mother from her child just to keep his shoddy reputation up? That was cold.

And now he was shoving her at a random man like some sort of prostitute, just so he could become more rich and powerful.

Meg was right. Her dad deserved a one-way ticket off the side of a cliff.

"Meg, I- I really am sorry. I wish I could help get you and your son distanced from this mess-"

She cut him off quickly, her voice sharp. "I'm glad you feel that way, handsome, because as it turns out, you can do just that." Castiel stared as she rose from the couch and hopped up onto the edge of his desk. "It's easy. Just go ahead and make it clear that you want to choose Bela. Dad'll back the fuck off, and I can get back to PTA meetings and soccer scrimmages."

Castiel had to assume she was being sarcastic about that last part. It was almost impossible to imagine the woman beside him, decked out in all black leather clothes and full-sleeve tattoos, cheering encouragingly from the sidelines of a pee-wee soccer match on a sunny Saturday morning.

He wanted to tell her he would do it. Choose Bela, who apparently already thought she was running unopposed anyway, judging by her remarks to the press. Meg was clearly not interested in supporting the charade, whereas her older sister was actively setting the rumor mill ablaze with clues of her fictitious romance with him. It would be easiest just to give in now and just let it happen.

But, he couldn't help but to rebel at the idea of caving under pressure and agreeing to marry Bela. Not until the last possible second, after ALL other options had been exhausted.

Meg took his silence the wrong way, shrugging carelessly. "Or, I guess Tom's fine, too, if that's what floats your boat, man. I don't judge." Castiel couldn't prevent his face from twisting into a pained scowl, drawing a harsh squawk of laughter from the woman. "Yeah, slim pickings between those two, huh? I wouldn't wanna be in your shoes at the end of this week when you tell the world you're head over heels for one of them! You might get struck by lightning on the spot!"

Despite the somber subject, Castiel ducked his head to cover a chuckle. She was right, after all. Picturing him standing beside the overly-made-up, simpering Bela, or vacant-faced Tom as he announced his undying love was an absurdity that not even the most open-minded viewers would believe. This entire engagement plot was like a horrible joke.

He looked up to find Meg grinning, her face improved dramatically from the normally bored scowl. He wasn't sure why, but he decided to be honest with her. "You should know- I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't come down to that." The confession rolled off his tongue more easily than he expected, stirring a fresh sense of hope and determination inside him.

It was as if saying the words out loud to someone else made them real. A proclamation of war. They might have him cornered for now, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

She seemed surprised, her smile fading slightly to be replaced with confusion. "What? You're going to say no? I thought they had you by the balls- no offense. I heard them talking about office closures and lay-offs and some shit about your closeted-boyfriend with the pregnant fiancée, or whatever..." She waved her hand dismissively, her eyes rolling.

Castiel tensed at the mention of Dean. A reminder of what was at stake if he didn't tread carefully.

So many people were counting on him- even if they didn't know it. He couldn't afford to be rash.

Meg noticed his discomfort. She shrugged her shoulders, "That's some tough shit, babe. If it were me, I'd say screw it. I've been there, you know." Her face became drawn and bitter. "I let it all get to me. My dad. My sister. The pressure of wanting to keep everyone happy. Wasting my time and energy hanging around people who didn't give two flying-fucks about me. Making excuses for them and blaming myself when I never seemed to measure up. Then I got knocked up with Clarence, and you know what I realized?" Castiel shook his head and she smirked. "I realized that I was the number one reason for my own unhappiness. So I cut'em all out- my druggie friends, my shit-bag boyfriends, my toxic family. I got the hell away from all that shit and just became the kind of person that I wanted my son to see me as. And you know what's the craziest thing? The lame-ass parents I hang around with now? They ain't such bad company after all. Treat me and Clarence like one of their own, even with all my tattoos and piercings. Funny how that works out. Turned out to be the best decision I ever made."

Castiel nodded his head, understanding what she meant.

But, was it really that easy? If he called for a press release right now and just put all his cards on the table, what would happen? If he went to the police with the photos, or taped recordings of Zachariah threatening him? Would that make this nightmare end before it could grow even more out of control?

Or would it make everything worse...?

Just who and how many people were stalking Dean and his family? If Zachariah was busted, would they lash out and harm Dean or someone close to him before the police could even get their names from Zachariah? Would the man have given them orders to take action upon his arrest?

And what about the missing money? Where was it being hidden? As soon as the disappearance was noticed by Accounting, the company had already hired specialist to trace it. It was hidden too well even for them to track down. Reduced to a series of codes and numbers and tucked away somewhere that no one could successfully find. If Castiel exposed Zachariah now, the man would likely NEVER reveal the money's whereabouts. The company would suffer a permanent loss and be ruined. Would all the thousands of jobless employees still blame him for not living a lie for them? Not protecting them?

It would be such a relief, just to have the weight off his shoulders...

...but would that justify the damage to so MANY innocent lives?

He finally turned to look up at Meg. "I'm happy for you- really. I'm glad you were able to make it work. But, I don't think I could do it. I can't be that selfish. I don't have a 'Clarence' to be selfish for. I think… I think my own unhappiness is worth it, to know that thousands of people, including Dean, can live happily. If I can't find a way out of this mess, at least I'll know they're all safe."

Meg shook her head like she thought he was hopeless, but a small smile appeared. "Oh, crimedy. You're one of those 'Good Guys' that little girls are told about in stories, aren't you? Completely unrealistic and impossible, but everyone still tries to find one anyway. Like a damn Unicorn." She sighed as she slid off the desk and sauntered away, not bothering to turn as she waved goodbye. As she reached the door, he heard her mutter quietly, "…where the hell were 'you' six years ago?"

Castiel stared after her for several seconds. As crazy as it sounded, he had developed a lot of respect for the woman. She had been dealt a crappy hand, but managed to overcome it. And she found her happiness.

Castiel knew he wasn't so lucky.

For him, happiness was a cocky mechanic in Kansas. Bright green eyes and slow kisses in the mornings. The smell of grease and sweat in the evenings. A bright, boyish smile that seemed like it was always just for him. The embodiment of every single hope-filled dream Castiel had ever had. The perfect boyfriend.

Happiness was Dean.

And if Castiel had to make a deal with the Devil to keep Dean safe, then he would.

He would dance for Zachariah, and Azazel, and all their cronies-

-BUT he was going to pick the song. If they thought he was going to be their obedient little puppet, they were in for a surprise.

He reached across the desk, picking up his phone and dialing Charlie's cell. She answered, voice tired but cheerful.

'Sup boss?'

"Sorry to bother you so early Charlie. I hope you weren't sleeping."

'Nope! Just pulled a WoW all-nighter with Gilda. This chick has mad-skill! But, never mind that- what's up?'

"I was hoping you could you set up for me to participate in some of the events I've been invited to? Like the luncheons and publicity functions for all the organizations that have been calling?"

'Oh, yeah- no problem! I mean, which ones, though? You've got like a million invites.'

"As many as possible. I want to start first thing tomorrow. Dick and his PR team can help you set everything up."

'Got it! I'll call Ruby and we'll get started right now! This is going to be awesome!' He heard her gasp as if she just realized something. 'Wait- does this mean I'll get to dress up all fancy and eat shrimp cocktails?!'

"…uh, well, yeah Charlie, I guess we'll need to be dressed nice for some of the galas and charity dinners…?"

There was a small muffled scream from the other end of the line. 'Yep. Okay. All over it, boss! Leave it to me! I'm so going shopping today! It'll be just like when Cinderella makes her appearance at the ball! But with more comfortable shoes, definitely…'

Sensing an impending ramble, he intercepted her quickly, "Yes- practical footwear. Thanks Charlie. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

He hung up the phone with a small smile.

If Azazel's other two children wanted to marry him, they were going to have to work for it.

…-^o^-…

It was raining Sunday morning when Dean awoke.

He lay in his bed, mind repeating over and over the words his mother had said to him the day before.

Cas loved him.

He left so that Dean could be 'happy'.

He thought that was what Dean 'wanted'.

Geez! And nothing could be farther from the truth. He wanted CAS. Everything about that night was an epic drunken mistake. How could he have pushed Cas away like that? Forced him into deciding to leave what they had.

And for a dream that he didn't even want anymore! Sure, Lisa and the baby were Dean's dream BEFORE Cas. But all of that went out the window as soon as he spotted the blue eyed man in his crumpled trench coat and damp mess of hair that first day at the garage. Everything had changed since then...

He wanted Cas. It was going to take a massive realignment of his life plans- true. It certainly wasn't what he had prepared for or dreamed about his whole life.

But as long as Cas was with him for the ride, he knew it was going to be amazing.

Huh. So this is what love feels like? Dean grinned where he lay in his bed. Yeah, no mistaking it. He's in love with Cas. Castiel Novak. 'Super-rich ADA Head' to the world- 'awesome nerd with crazy-hot moves in the sack' to Dean.

Dean's smile dropped as he heard the sound of movement coming from the kitchen. The noise was a reminder. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. He fucked up. Big time.

How was he going to explain this to Lisa? She'd told him to leave her and go after his love before, but she didn't really know what all that entailed, which was that Cas was a guy and that he was currently the leader of a massive company, whose face was all over the news.

Yeah, this was going to take some tact. But it was going to happen. No bullshitting now. It was like a switch had flipped in his brain. All that mattered was Cas, and telling Cas that he loved him, and being near Cas, and holding him, and kissing him, and maybe very delicately bringing up the topic of 'bottoming'…

Dean exploded into almost giddy chuckles. Holy shit, he was seriously thinking about letting Cas be 'on top'. Of trusting Cas to take the lead. It was terrifying to even consider. But, it was Cas.

He's in love. Honest and truly freakin' IN LOVE.

And Cas loved him, too. He just knew it.

Nothing could take away the buzzing warmth flowing through his chest.

Starting today, the only thing that mattered was getting Cas back.

But, first, he had to clean up this mess with Lisa.

…-^o^-…

"Dean, seriously. You're freaking everyone out. What are you smiling about?"

Dean looked up from his beer to find Sam eyeing him like he was a bomb about to go off. "Hmm? What?"

Sam huffed with mock annoyance, but a small grin appeared. "You're like a creepy ray of sunshine sitting over here by yourself. People are starting to worry. I'M starting to worry. You didn't even pay attention to the game, dude."

Dean looked over at several tables full of loudly chatting friends beside him, realizing that Sam was right. He hadn't even looked at the football game since he arrived. It must have ended now. Everyone was beginning to break up, some scowling- the losers, probably. The whole gang was present for the traditional Sunday Game Day at the Road House. Normally Dean would be one of the more rowdy of the group.

He didn't even care. His mind was already spinning with ideas of how he was going to win Cas back. Series of disgustingly sweet professions of undying love had been playing through his mind. Things that Dean would NEVER in a million years say or do for ANY chick, no matter how smoking hot.

He'd do any of them for Cas. To convince Cas to forgive him and take him back.

Because Cas was…

"Dude-! You're doing it AGAIN! What the hell is that LOOK!?" Sam's exasperated voice cut into Dean's daydreaming.

"Fuck, Sammy! Relax. I'm just- I just…" Dean knew his face was beaming, but he couldn't turn it off. "I'm happy, alright?"

"Okay…? What about?" Sam asked hesitantly.

Fucking nosy-ass brothers prying into people's happiness…

Dean cast his brother a scrutinizing look, then his eyes darted around them, as if afraid they would be overheard. Feeling safe, Dean leaned forward and said quietly to his brother, "Me and Mom, uh, talked yesterday while everyone was out." Sam nodded slowly, waiting. Dean continued, "She says that- well, that Cas 'left' because he 'loves me'!" Dean burst into a huge, smug smile at the confession.

Sam stared at his older brother. After several seconds of Dean's shit-eating grin, he finally stated, "You are a fucking idiot, dude."

Dean's smile dropped, replaced with an defensive glare. "What the fuck, Sammy?!"

Sam rolled his eyes, reminding Dean entirely too much of his mother the day before. "Of COURSE he loves you! We've all been trying to tell you that for weeks, man!" Sam was trying to stay serious, but he couldn't hold back his smile.

Dean felt a blush creeping up his neck. Was it really that obvious…? He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Out loud he asked, "How could you tell? I mean- that me and Cas were, uh, the 'Real Deal'?"

Sam gave his brother a helpless head shake, then began ticking off facts on his fingers. "Dean, dude, you cooked me 'breakfast'. You asked Ash for help to 'impress him'. You changed up our entire song list at the concert just so you could sing DIRECTLY to him all night. You stormed into his office and punched his ex-boyfriend. Oh, yeah, and you SLEPT with him- another dude- after, what? Two weeks? Following a solid streak of absolutely zero homosexual inclinations." Sam squared Dean with a 'are-you-seriously-asking-me-this' look. "Yeah, man. We all knew you were crazy about him. And the really weird part? Castiel totally ate it all up. Trust me, Dean- if the guy wasn't completely in love with you he would've hauled ass away from your obsessed infatuation with him. I mean, you were pretty 'intense' about all of it. I figure Castiel must've had it just as bad, if not worse, if he chose to stick around a loser like you."

Dean felt like he was floating from his brother's words. Sure, Sam was pretty much saying that Dean was acting like an love-struck moron for the last few weeks, but all he heard was that Cas enjoyed every second of it.

Hell yeah, he did! Cuz I've got mad-skill in the romance department. Woo'd the dudes socks off...along with the rest of his clothes, Dean told himself cheerfully.

Sam asked in a more somber tone, pulling Dean's attention back from his celebrating, "So what now? I mean, I'm really happy for you. It's great that you've pulled your head out of your ass, but," Dean followed Sam's gaze to where Lisa was sitting talking to to Jo and Jess. "How are you going to handle Lisa and the baby?"

Dean frowned.

Yeah, it was time. He needed to get this over with quickly, like a band-aid.

With a sigh, Dean replied, "I've got it, man. I fucked it all up. It's time to start fixing everything."

Sam gave him a confused look, tinged with worry. "Dean- just…be careful, alright? I don't want to see you get hurt again."

Dean gave his brother a short nod, already on his feet, eyes determined as he walked over to where Lisa sat.

The women greeted him with smiles as he reached them. He forced a smile back as he spoke, "Hey, Lis. You ready to head back? I- I wanted to talk with you. Uh, at home."

Lisa blinked in surprise for a moment, before answering. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. Um, I'm ready. I get tired so early now a days!" She sent a bright smile to the other women, ignoring their concerned eyes darting from her to Dean.

Dean helped her stand, maneuvering her growing belly carefully as she rolled onto her feet. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

He may have underestimated how hard this was going to be...

Just as they were making their way to the door, waving goodbye to their friends, something on the TV screen across the bar caught Dean's eye.

They had changed the channel after the game ended. It was now on some sort of Entertainment News channel. And it was flashing pictures of Castiel.

Dean stopped dead in his tracks, eyes glued to the TV, trying to follow what the news cast was saying. At the bottom of the screen were the bold words- 'Late Night Romances and Rendezvous?'

A gentle hand on his shoulder reminded him that Lisa was standing next to him. "Dean?"

He turned quickly, mouth opening and closing as he tried to find something to say. At last, he managed, "Lis, uh, I just remembered something. Could you, maybe, take a cab? I swear I'll be there in a few minutes, I just-"

His eyes were pulled distractedly back to the TV. He wrenched them away again as Lisa spoke, "Okay. Yeah, that's no problem. I'll see you at home."

Dean nodded, trying to focus on her and the TV at the same time, but failing. He dug his wallet out and passed her a handful of cash. "Sorry. Here, I'll pay. Thanks, Lis. I promise, I'm right behind you, okay?"

He didn't wait for an answer, his feet moving of their own accord towards the far wall where the TV was playing.

He caught the nervous looks of Sam, his Mom and Ellen, who were all staring at him, then back up to the screen as he approached. An up-beat young woman dressed in hipster clothes was standing in front of a monitor, which was flashing images of Tweets.

'-the latest series of Tweets from the CPOA heirs confirm the rumors, but present very conflicting reports. The oldest daughter, Bela, has been tweeting ever since yesterday that there may be a secret, long-standing romance brewing between her and the ADA Head. But, her brother also seems to be hinting at an explicit relationship. He has spoken with several reporters since he was spotted at the club last night, mentioning that he and Castiel Novak have grown 'close' after the ADA head left the proverbial 'closet' last Friday. When asked if the CPOA son was confirming that he, too, was gay, the man responded that the subject was something private between 'himself and Mr. Novak', and he declined to say anymore at the time. Naturally, the suggestion that the ADA Head would be in any way romantically involved with an heir to the CPOA has caused an explosion of debates and discussion from stockholders in both companies, with the overriding thought being 'is a marriage of both persons and companies on the horizon'? We go now to our live coverage of-'

Dean found himself slumped into a chair, his mother's warm hand rubbing his back. On the screen, blurry photos of Castiel were pulled up, apparently in a club. Dean took in the sight of him. He looked… not great. Definitely drunk. Dean's chest tightened painfully.

More pictures showed a strikingly beautiful woman smiling brightly at the cameras, also in a club. The next showed a blank-faced man with sleepy-looking eyes. A few final pictures were of a pissed off looking goth chick with her hand shoved at the camera lens, mouth open in what was almost definitely an angry stream of curses towards the photographers.

The hipster was still talking but all Dean heard was a dull pounding as his pulse threatened to deafen him. Where was all this coming from? 'Romantic rendezvous'? The dude just left last-fucking-week. No way he was already seeing new people…?

Dean wasn't sure what to make of it. He turned to his mother, only then realizing that practically every one of his friends was surrounding the television, their faces all grim as they waited for him to speak.

He tried not to let his bewilderment show. Thankfully, his awesome mom broke the silence for him, laughing out loud. "Can you believe that? These news stations will do anything to get ratings. I bet everyone that finds themselves in the same room as Castiel tries to claim some sort of romance. People are so desperate to have their fifteen minutes of fame! Your father and I have the same problem with our fans sometimes! I swear, some of the things we've had to deal with-!"

The rest of the group relaxed, eyes still watching Dean closely. He wasn't sure he could handle scrutiny at the moment, even if the news story was a load of dramatized crap. He felt himself growing annoyed fast as the feeling of so many sets of eyes bore into him.

"Stop fucking 'staring' at me, alright!" Dean snapped loudly. The large group flinched visibly, eyes shooting in any direction but at Dean.

"Dean…" Sam started quietly from his left.

"It's fine, Sammy- geez! Like Mom said, they just make that shit up to get ratings and feel important. Cas is- Cas wouldn't-" He shut his mouth in frustration, not sure what he meant to say. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "Listen, I- I gotta get home. But," He looked around at all his friends, Bobby, Garth, his Dad, Jo- everyone, their eyes intentionally avoiding his for fear of setting him off a second time. He felt guilty for his outburst. At last he mumbled in lieu of an apology, "I just need to- to clear some stuff up. I'll see you all tomorrow."

He slid from his seat, crossing the bar to the exit without another word. He felt their eyes on him the entire way. He could sense the pity and concern. He forced himself to shrug it off.

It was nothing. Hell, Cas was a catch! It was natural for people to gossip. It didn't mean Cas was… It didn't mean ANYTHING.

…-^o^-…

Dean stepped into the house, noticing immediately that the lights were all off.

"Lisa...?" He called into the darkness. "You here, Lis?"

He flipped on the living room light, eyes searching the room. He saw her purse on the table beside him. She was definitely home.

"Lis? Where are you?" He began walking down the hall. After a few moments he heard a sound coming from her room where the nursery was being set up. "Lis? Are you alright?"

Opening the door to find more darkness, his hand searched out the light switch. The bright lights cut on, revealing Lisa sitting in the white rocking chair, hands covering her face. She muffled a small sob, before wiping her face and blinking up at him with a trembling smile.

Dean was across the room fast, kneeling in front of her. "Lis- what happened? Are you alright? Is the baby-?"

She let out something between a sob and a laugh. Her wet eyes met his as her hand came up to rest gently in his hair. She rubbed his head slowly for a few moments, eyes staying locked on his.

Dean felt a shiver of dread shoot up his spine. "…Lis?"

She raised her free hand, holding up a small small strip of paper. Dean's brow creased as he reached out to take the paper.

He looked down at it and felt his breath rush out like he had been punched in the gut.

The pictures. The ones of him and Cas from the photo booth. Shit-! He must have grabbed the slip of paper by mistake along with the bills as he handed her cash for the cab.

He cursed under his breath, wincing as he tightened his hands around the pictures and kept his eyes downcast.

God damn it-!

"…Why didn't you tell me?" Lisa's voice croaked.

Dean's head dropped helplessly onto her lap, brushing against her large stomach.

"I'm so sorry, Lis. I-" He struggled to find the words to explain himself. He had everything planned out. He was going to break it to her gently. This wasn't how she was supposed to find out. "Fuck." Dean finally cursed aloud, keeping his face planted against her soft shirt. He felt her hand begin stroking his hair again.

"Dean… come on. Look at me."

Dean reluctantly raised his eyes, dreading meeting hers again. She tilting his head up.

Lisa smiled sadly down at him, streaks of tears running down her face. "I'm very upset with you, you know." She sniffed a sob, but continued smiling down at him. Dean frowned, ready to apologize again, but she continued, "Really- how could you keep such a huge secret from me. I thought- I thought we were friends, Dean." She huffed out a breathy laugh, trying to sound offended.

Dean stared at her, unsure how to handle the situation. For one thing, she wasn't throwing anything at him. Or hysterical. Good signs…

"Lis, I- I know it's a pretty big shock-" She snorted another short laugh, bending her head forward to touch foreheads with him.

"Dean… for fuck's sake." Dean pulled his head back in surprise at her words. He stared at her as she grinned through her tears at him. "What the hell are you doing, you idiot?"

"I…I have NO idea, Lis. Fucking up my life, I guess." Dean suddenly felt an uncontrollable chuckle erupt from him. He tried to bury his face back into Lisa's lap, but she pulled him back up.

"Dean, I- I'm not angry at you. Jealous as fuck, maybe," She giggled and Dean snapped his eyes up to look at her incredulously. "I'm serious, he's hot! And rich on top of all that sexy? How did a loser like you score such a good catch? It hurts my pride, you jerk." A fresh set of tears ran down her face and she tried to wipe them away quickly.

Dean reached up and pulled her into a tight hug. "Lis… you- you don't have to pretend to be cool about this. I'm serious. Please be angry. I WANT you to be angry."

Lisa choked out another sob that was muffled by Dean's jacket. "...really?"

"Yeah, really." Dean replied quietly, rubbing her shaking back.

She pulled away and sniffed, before meeting his eyes and stating, "Fine- I 'hate' him. I don't even know him, but I bet he's a jerk! Probably spoiled rotten. Horrible personality. You," She choked again but managed to continue in a strangled voice, "You deserve better. I bet I like you way more than he does." Her face crumpled into another round of sobs.

Dean tried to hold back his laugh, but it was no use. He leaned his head against Lisa's shoulder, shaking with laughter. After a few moments he heard Lisa laughing through her tears, too. She reached around, wrapping him up in a tight hug.

They stayed like that, bodies shaking with laughter, for several minutes. When they finally calmed down, they pulled apart, catching their breaths. Dean moved to take a seat on the footrest by the chair, keeping hold of Lisa's hand. He clenched it tight, before asking, "Are you okay, Lis? Really?"

She wiped her eyes again with her free hand, but he noted that they were finally beginning to dry up. She shrugged, smiling sadly, "I don't know. I thought it was bad enough when I thought he was a woman." Her face dropped, brows scrunching together with thought. "Hey- they all knew didn't they?! Everyone else?" She looked at him for confirmation. "OH MY GOD! Seriously? EVERYONE'S been lying to me? UGGHHH! That's so embarrassing. I'm going to KILL Jo! And Jess!" She groaned into her hands.

Dean squeezed her hand, trying to convey how sorry he was through the touch. After a long, drawn out exhale, her head popped back up and she raised her hand, "I'm fine. I'm cool. It's cool. I-I get it. I just- I just need a minute to calm down."

Dean gave a her few more seconds before mumbling, "Lis, it was all my fault. I pretty much threatened to kill them, then salt and burn their corpses if they said anything to you about him. They really didn't want to keep it a secret from you. So, just- don't hold it against them, okay?"

Lisa shook her head, sighing. "I just- I don't get it, Dean. Why would you let him leave?" She turned to look at him, her huge brown eyes searching his. "Don't even pretend like you weren't crazy about him, either. Those pictures…" She nodded towards his other hand where the photo strip was clutched tightly. "I can see it all over your faces. You two are obviously in love." She added with a miserable grumble, "Hell, I could never get you into one of those photo booths to save my life. You look like you could've stayed in there with him until they sprayed a hose into it to flush you out."

Dean blushed, feeling a sharp tinge of shame at the memory of all the times he had told her how stupid photo booths were. He sputtered to give some sort of excuse, "Yeaaahhhh. I guess, I just- it was just different with Cas. He just kind of- looks at me with those eyes and-"

Lisa snorted, bending over with laughter as she clutched her belly. "Oh my God, Dean! You're such a girl! 'He looks at me with those EYES'!" She mocked him, before laughing even harder.

Dean frowned at her shaking form, annoyed. He grumbled, "Hey- ease up, okay? It's not a chick-thing. Have you not seen him on TV? The dude has incredible eyes!"

"He has nice everything, apparently," Lisa chuckled, reaching for the pictures. Dean allowed her to take them, watching as she scrutinized them carefully. "Hmm…yeah. Yeah, I can see it. Very... blue. And he can really wear the hell out of a suit. I'm not going to lie, Dean," She raised her eyes, suddenly looking very serious as she met Dean's, "I was totally checking him out on the TV when he did that interview. I mean, like, full-on, super-charged hormone-driven fantasies and all-"

"Whoa-! Okay-stop! Nope. Do not need to hear any more!" Dean moaned with a laugh, pretending to cringe at the idea of Lisa undressing Cas with her bedroom eyes.

She burst out laughing again, before taking a deep breath and staring back at the photos. Her smile faded, eyes growing dim. "Seriously, though. He seems pretty awesome. I'm happy that you… you finally found someone that makes you happy."

"…thanks, Lis." Dean replied quietly. She looked up and their eyes met again, laughter compltetly gone.

"We're telling everyone the truth about the baby first thing tomorrow morning." She stated firmly.

"We-we don't have to do that-"

"Yes- we DO. And I'm going to be moving out." She raised her hand before Dean could protest. "No- it's happening. No arguments. I will be taking all this awesome baby stuff with me as soon as I find an apartment. And you and your brother WILL be doing all the heavy lifting during the move. Consider it repayment for lying to me."

Dean looked down, nodding slowly. "Thanks, Lis. I- I really am-"

"-Jesus, Dean," Lisa groaned in exasperation. "Stop being sorry for not loving me. That's ridiculous! Just focus on getting your man back. I want to meet him so I can play the crazy-ex card." She grinned at him before squinting her eyes with seriousness, "Now- if you apologize to me one more time, I swear I'm going to take your credit card for a shopping spree at Babies-R-Us."

Dean's mouth snapped shut as his eyebrows rose to his hairline.

Yikes...

He gave her hand one final squeeze, before nodding reluctantly.

…-^o^-...

"I can't figure it out sir. I've checked the records for Naomi, but she doesn't have anyone assigned to her."

Uriel stood at the door of Zachariah's office as the older man carefully polished one of his many trophies.

"Uriel," Zachariah's voice was deceptively gentle as he kept his eyes on his task, "It sounds like you are suggesting that Alfie has been doing grunt-work at this company JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT. Does that sound realistic to you?"

After a few seconds, "…have you MET Alfie, sir…?"

Zachariah paused, frowning. Both men were silent for several more seconds before Zachariah spoke, "…you don't really think-?"

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised, sir." Uriel answered.

There was another silence.

Zachariah shook his head. "No- that's insane. Keep looking. Broaden the records you're searching. Check all departments, and all personnel. Go back a few years, too. Hell, I think the guy's been here for at least four. How long do internships last? He must have been hired on at some point… Figure it out, then get me the dirt. I don't like him running around here, popping up unexpectedly in places he shouldn't be- and 'listening'."

"I understand, sir." The head of security nodded curtly and excused himself.

…-^o^-…

Tessa and Chuck stood in their usual places behind the counter, while Teddy sat on the stool closest to the small TV.

On the fuzzy screen, a group of well-dressed people were reviewing the latest headlines. Specifically, the sightings of the ADA Head and CPOA heirs together. Images were flashing across the screen as the small group argued heatedly. One man's voice carried over the rest, his eyes looking directly into the camera lens, as if addressing the audience in their homes.

'-and I can say with one-hundred percent certainty, this is a desperate attempt by Castiel Novak to save his floundering company from financial ruin! What better way than to stage a romantic alliance with one of the heirs of his most powerful competitor?'

His words caused a violent reaction among his comrades, most of which was undecipherable in the mayhem of each person trying to out-shout the other. At last, another man drowned the rest out.

'-because, the BIGGEST question here, is not about how to handle the supposedly-missing money. The question is where did all this money GO? I think that anytime a corporation cannot account for massive amounts of funds, then the government should actively intervene to locate the money! What is the FBI doing right now? The IRS? Who is asking Castiel Novak where his father and brother have disappeared to?! Because I have a hard time believing he's as ignorant as he is acting-!'

'-NO, NO, NO!' A hard-faced woman cut him off, 'You won't get ANYWHERE trying to follow the money! This ENTIRE set-up is too elaborate! No- we're looking at a large-scale, probably-hostile MERGER that was likely planned out by Castiel Novak, himself, to seize his family's wealth!' The group exploded again, with several people jumping to their feet, red-faced at the idea, but the woman forged on at a near-deafening shout, 'Think about it! THINK ABOUT IT! Castiel was never ACTUALLY in line for the company or the fortune! He was tucked away into cozy desk job. Theodore Novak was actively grooming his long-time protégé, Michael, to take the reigns! Am I the ONLY one who finds it convenient that Theodore, and his oldest son are suddenly missing, and Castiel is sitting at the top of the castle, rubbing elbows with the CPOA Head and his family! IT REEKS OF SELF-INTEREST!'

The conversation was interrupted by the sudden panning out of the cameras and a switch to commercial.

Tessa twisted the rag in her hands nervously, eyes falling on Teddy.

As usual, the man seemed to take only a passing interest in the latest news from San Diego.

Beside her, Chuck used the remote to turn off the TV, before moving back towards his office by the kitchen. Tessa watched him go, then turned to Teddy. "So, um, things are getting pretty intense, huh?"

The elderly man lifted his bright blue eyes to smile warmly at her, "Yes. It seems so."

Tessa waited for him to say something else. He lifted his coffee mug to draw a slow sip, eyes drifting to the window.

"Wouldn't-" Tessa began, catching herself, before frowning. It really wasn't her place to ask questions, but she was dying to know how Teddy could be so calm. "Wouldn't everything- I don't know—clear up, if you went back? It looks like part of the problem is that no one knows why you left. Can't you pop back in and take back over the company? Tell them you didn't take the money. Er…" She cringed, but muttered nervously, "…you didn't, right...?"

Teddy's face broke into one of his rare, bright smiles. "No. I didn't take the money."

Tessa waited again, relieved to hear he wasn't guilty, but frustrated by his nonchalance. "So? Why did you bail and leave your sons to face all that craziness? Why not go back and explain it all?"

Teddy smiled up at her and answered quietly, "I needed a vacation."

Tessa's eyebrows shot up in astonishment. "Y-YOU'RE ON A VACATION?! Right now? While your company is sinking and your son is being attacked by the media in front of the whole world!? He needs you! The company needs you! Why are you hiding out here drinking coffee all day while they all wonder if you're still alive?"

Teddy frowned thoughtfully at her words, and shrugged. "I have faith in them." He gave her another warm smile that crinkled his eyes, before rising from the stool and strolling out the door of the café.

Tessa stared after him in shock through the windows as he made his daily trek towards the cemetery.

Vacation...?

The man was clearly insane.

…-^o^-…

Dean knew that he should get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to suck. He was going to have to make personal rounds to EVERYONE to apologize for lying about the baby. His stomach clenched just thinking about the looks of betrayal and anger he would be receiving.

And he deserved it all. Plus some.

He should never have lied. About anything. If he hadn't- if he had just gone straight to Cas and confided in him. Talked every out. Trusted Cas to stick by him while he sorted his feelings out, none of this mess would be happening.

And maybe Cas would still be here in Lawrence.

Or maybe Dean could be with him in San Diego, returning the favor as he sorted out the company problems.

Wherever they ended up, at least they could have been together.

Instead, at eleven-twenty on a Sunday night, Dean was sitting in his bed, clutching his bright phone in the darkness as he scrolled through the latest news and gossip articles.

He felt nauseous, and it had nothing to do with confessing to his friends and family about the baby not being his. Or about how huge of a fuck-up he committed by pushing Cas away.

No, it was all because of a bitch named Bela.

How in the hell did ANYONE seriously believe that this Barbie-Wannabe had a chance with Cas?! She looked like she was three plastic surgeries away from being one hundred percent plastic! And after having spent hours on her Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Instagram profile pages, Dean was convinced that she was NOT good enough for Cas.

Dean snorted angrily, finger jabbing at his phone as he re-read her most recent Tweets. This chick has some serious delusions!

:Why do people keep asking about me and Castiel? Duh I don't kiss and tell! #classy #mindyourown

:Emergency! Where is a good place to go to check your ring size? OMG HELP! #hotchickproblems #weddingbells

:LOL- no guy is so gay he can't be turned straight by a classy lady ; ) #idowhatiwant #toohottoturndown

:Srsly tho- how cute would a blue-eyed baby be? Like if both parents were hot? Just asking B cuz #hotcoupleskids #wonthegeneticlottery

:FML someone told the news crews about me and bae at the club last night! #rude #privacyplease #caughtoncamera

Dean had to look up what the hell a 'bae' was, then almost threw his phone across the room. This was bullshit. Some attention whore was just trying cause a stir, like his mom had said at the Road House earlier. Cas was GAY, for God's sake. Or at least 'Bi' according to that fucking Interview. Dean was having a hard enough time wrapping his mind around THAT! Regardless, Cas had WAY better options available to him then 'Bela'. It was actually kind of funny- if it weren't so fucking annoying.

Dean could imagine Cas staring at the woman as she lopped all the charm she had at him...

He'd probably do that fucking adorable head tilt.

Shit. That head tilt, with the scrunched brow and confused frown… Why should SHE get to see it?

Dean let his head rolled back, thumping as it hit the headboard.

Love sucks.

He returned his tired eyes to the small screen where an image showed Castiel stone-faced as he entered a building, flanked by security guards and excited-looking paparazzi.

Was it really as bad as the news was saying? He wouldn't really be hanging out with losers like this Bela-chick, would he? Even if he did need help saving the company? There were so many crazy rumors being thrown around.

Dean had read some, talking about how Cas was planning to merge the ADA so he could become even more rich. Bullshit stories painting him as power-hungry and manipulative.

That wasn't Cas. Hell, the only time Dean had seen Cas actively aggressive was in bed.

He grinned, reminded of some of their more intense bouts of sex. Cas was a complete 180 once his clothes came off. And Dean had ZERO complaints.

Well, except for the one big one.

His eyes lifted from the picture of Cas on the screen, to the closet door where the box of toys was hidden.

What would Cas say… How would he react if Dean told him…? About the box and… the toys?

What kind of face would he make if Dean straight-up told him he wanted to be 'on the bottom'. Just as a test run. A chance to try it out once. A peek behind the curtain to see if it was even half-way as awesome with Cas as it was with the many inanimate objects.

Would he be shocked? Put-off?

…Happy?

Damn. He needed to get his shit together and get Cas back-! Make up for every single one of these past fews days that they were separated. Tell him EVERYTHING- about Lisa, the baby, the fucking piss poor decisions, the lonely nights with just his hand and a box of lifeless dildos that turned his world upside down.

Or not.

Just silence was fine, too. Cas was never big on talking anyway. He just sort of 'knew' what was going on in Dean's head. Never pressured him to say any of it out loud.

Fuck, he missed him so bad. How the hell had he lasted this long without having Cas in his life? It was like every single chick he ever dated from elementary school and up was just place-holder while Cas made his way to him. He could see it now, thinking back. None of them ever made him feel like Cas did. They were like shadows. Cas was real- flesh and blood. Bright.

Perfect.

Everyone else, even Lisa, were just 'Pre-Cas' distractions.

He was going to get him back. No matter what.

The rest of the world could go fuck themselves- the 'Dick's, the 'Bela's, the 'Cathy Campbell's of the world- screw 'em all!

Cas belonged with him, and Dean was going to win him back if it meant he had to storm the ADA building in San Diego. Even if Cas tried to turn him away- send him back to live his 'normal, happy life with Lisa and the baby and fucking white picket fences'.

Dean wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

He wasn't going to be stupid enough to let Cas walk out of his life a second time.

Dean closed out of the web article and opened up his phone's photo album.

The image of Cas laid out on his back across the deep blue sheets of his bed, pale skin glowing, filled the screen. Dean instantly relaxed. Like there wasn't a care in the world.

The photo from their last Sunday together...

Trapped inside with no power- just each other...

Before the everything went so... wrong.

Dean scooted himself down, under the covers. He placed the glowing phone near his head on the pillow, tilting it so he could stare at the man as his eyes became heavy.

It was just a temporary fix.

A substitute until the real thing could be back beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like both Dean and Castiel have a renewed sense of determination and purpose. But just as Dean realizes he loves Cas, Castiel becomes more resolved to keep Dean distanced and safe.
> 
> What could possibly go wrong? Haha... (p_q)


	35. Love Letters and Missed Calls

Dean's expectations were pretty much right on. NO ONE was happy about the baby lie.

He started with his parents and Sam first. They had had the most to gain, and now to lose.

No daughter-in-law. No grandson. No nephew.

Learning from previous mistakes, he chose not to break the news over a personally prepared breakfast. The walls over the stove still bore the scars from his last effort.

Instead, he called them all into the spacious kitchen early Monday morning and allowed them to be seated. Lisa insisted on being there, despite Dean's reluctance. The nervous-looking woman wouldn't back down. She told him, in her firmest voice, that this whole plan had been her idea in the first place, and she needed to face that- for penance.

Dean had no argument for that; respected the sentiment, in fact. Penance was something he understood. When you knew you were at fault, you owned up to it and took responsibility. Faced the demons that rose in the wake of your decisions- well-intentioned or not.

Like he had to do with Cas.

He couldn't begrudge Lisa her chance to make amends for her guilt. Even if he was absolutely terrified about how his family would react. He would never forgive himself if they condemned Lisa.

Him- easy. He expected that.

But she was just trying to make the best life she could for her kid. Hell, Dean figured she deserved a medal for going to such great lengths to be an Awesome Mom.

But, it wasn't really up to him.

Unable to handle the prolonged tension of breaking the news, Dean just put it all out as soon as his parents and Sam were seated. He did his best to meet their eyes, but discovered he wasn't as strong as he thought. His eyes glued themselves to the kitchen floor mid-way through the confession, and stayed there in the extended silence left in its wake.

Until his mother's voice broke the air with a self-satisfied, "Called it!"

Dean's eyes snapped up to see his mother staring smugly at his father. Dean fumbled for words, but somehow Sam beat him to it. "W-what? Mom? This is serious..."

"I know honey, it's nothing. Just a little bet I made with you father. Who- by the way- now owes me a solid week of back massages." Her words were upbeat, but her smile was tinged with a certain grimness that belied them. She turned to Dean, eyes sad and disapproving, "I told your father the first day we got here something was off." Her eyes softened, "Dean, babe, you wanted kids for your whole life. Even with everything else going on… you just weren't acting like the excited dad we had been expecting." She sighed. Beside her, Sam nodded reluctantly while John remained a silent statue.

Dean was at a loss. Hadn't he been excited?

Maybe…maybe not AS excited as he could have been, true. But, he was fully intending on treating the kid like his own. Did he really not seem happy about being a father?

He turned to Lisa, searching for some acknowledgement from her. She met his eyes and gave a small, embarrassed nod in confirmation.

Dean felt a small part of him cringe.

He had wanted to be a good dad. An excited one. The kid deserved it. And he couldn't even manage that. How pathetic. Add that to the growing list of personal failures that were stacking up for him lately.

"I- I'm sorry, Lis. I really did try. But, you deserve better for the baby." Lisa gave him one of her small, sad little smiles before taking his hand and squeezing it warmly.

"So, what? You just going to go around apologizing to everyone for lying?" Sam's sharp voice asked. Dean turned to him, realizing he was sporting Bitch Face Number Six. He had expected as much from Sam. Dean had blatantly lied to him, and that was something brothers didn't do, especially them. He was right to be pissed.

"I- I'm not gonna stand here and apologize for trying to give an innocent kid a chance at a good family. And an awesome uncle." Sam blinked in surprise, then ducked his head, embarrassed. "But I am sorry for not being honest with all of you from the get-go. But I'm gonna start fixing it all now. First with coming clean about the baby. Then…," Dean took a steadying breath before announcing, "I'm getting Cas back. I'm gonna call him and tell him the truth, too. It was my fucked-up choice that forced him to high-tail it out of here. I'm gonna get it all cleared up and ask him to give me another shot."

He fixed Sam with a determined stare, waiting.

Sam met his gaze, still wearing a stern frown of disapproval. After a tense stare-off, Sam finally muttered, "'Bout time. No more lies, Dean. Never again." He held Dean's gaze.

Dean nodded, repeating, "No more lies."

The tension drained from the room after the promise. Lisa released his hand to rub his back soothingly.

Mary stood, coming around the table to pull Dean into a tight hug. "I swear, I don't know how you thought lying was going to help anyone. But I guess your heart was in the right place."

Dean hugged her back, a rush of warmth passing through him. The weight and dread seemed to lift.

He was forgiven. No yelling. No foreswearing of brotherhoods. His family was sticking with him.

He looked up just in time to catch his father's back as the older man quietly left the kitchen.

Dean pulled back, frowning. His mother turned to follow his gaze and seemed to realize what was bothering him. "Just… give him a little time, okay hon? He's still trying to deal with everything. He'll be fine, okay?" She patted the front of his shirt gently, straightening out the invisible winkles.

Dean's eyes shifted from his mother to the door his father had left through, and then back. "Is he… is he just upset about me for lying about the baby… or is it- is it about Cas?"

Mary's eyes gleamed with pain, but she covered it quickly with a small smile. "It's just a lot, sweetie. He's not really upset with you. He's just… not sure how to handle everything. He'll come around."

She was patting his arm now, but Dean barely noticed. He hadn't really considered how his father was coping with the news about Cas. Or about his oldest son being gay. He had just assumed that if his mom was cool with everything, then his dad would be, too. Now that he thought about it, his dad had barely spoken to him since they arrived. And they hadn't sat down to talk like they usually did, either.

Was his dad avoiding him…?

The small group finally dispersed, but not before Sam pulled his smaller brother into disgustingly heartfelt bearhug- which lasted about ten seconds longer than Dean felt was acceptable. But, he let it go. Sam had just sort of lost a nephew.

He was, nonetheless, thrilled when Sam finally gave several rough pats to his back and solemnly left without another word.

Dean had to hurry after that to get to work. He wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to Benny, Ash, and especially Bobby. Bobby's piss-o-meter was stuck on eight of ten on a good day...

But even as he prepared to tell them about the baby, Dean couldn't help the pain that had crept its way up through his chest when he thought about his father quietly ducking away.

His dad didn't understand.

The hurt from his disapproval made Dean feel almost nauseous.

His father was ashamed of him.

He'd disappointed his father by loving Cas.

…-^o^-…

The rest of the confessions went about as well as was to be expected.

Bobby cussed him out, flaying him with angry words and threatening him if he EVER lied to him again..

Then he had pulled Dean into a brief, tight hug before stomping off red-faced to hide out in his office.

Benny was naturally hurt, but quick to forgive. Years of being best friends and making piss-poor decisions together probably played a huge role there.

Ash was the more difficult of the three, surprisingly.

The man had been acting almost petulant towards Dean ever since he had run Cas off. Almost like turning away Cas to pick back up with Lisa was a personal snub against him. Dean wasn't sure how to handle the man's sudden attitude and distance. As he explained the truth about the baby to him in the small break room, Ash listened stiffly, not even bothering to pull his eyes away from the Motorcycles Weekly magazine in his hands. Dean's chest squeezed with the feeling of rejection from his friend. Ash had helped him out so much with Cas. And that fucking box was practically the only thing sustaining Dean through the interim without Cas now. He owed Ash so much for supporting him, and helping him get through such a huge change in his life….

After standing in front of the man and confessing to him about the baby lie he still got no response.

Dean sighed and plopped himself down beside his friend on the couch.

"That's not all. I'm, uh, I'm gonna call Cas. Tell him the truth and… I don't know- beg him to take me back, I guess. So, you know, I am trying to un-fuck myself." Ash seemed to perk up slightly beside him, studying Dean carefully with the sides of his eyes.

Dean waited, hoping the admission would draw Ash out and get him talking to him again. He was rewarded by Ash finally breaking the silence, his quiet voice asking, "What'd you have in mind?"

"Huh?" Dean responded dumbly, just glad to have Ash talking.

Ash heaved a world-weary sigh, dropping the magazine onto the table and shooting Dean an exasperated look. "What are you going to say to him when you call him?"

Dean hadn't thought of that- not really. He figured he would know what to say when the time came. "Uh, well, I was just gonna tell him, um, that I- cough- love him. A lot?" It came out more like a question.

Ash turned to face Dean, the beginning of his normal enthusiasm quickly returning. "Okay, I guess that's legit. Classic…." Ash nodded, seeming to be turning the idea over carefully in his head. "But, come on, bro. This is 'Castiel!'. The love of your life. He's got it made- living it up in California and getting hit on by hot ladies and dudes left and right."

Dean winced at the reminder. "So, uh, you saw the news reports, too? I don't believe a word of that shit, alright? Cas isn't like that. He's way too shy and nerdy, you know?"

"Hmm… seemed to move pretty fast with you." Ash murmured with a smirk.

"That's different! Me and Cas were… are special. He's in love with me, so that doesn't count!"

"How do you know?" Ash asked frankly.

"Wha-? I- I just know. That's why he ditched when he thought I had a chance at a family. My mom broke it all down for me. But, I already knew from before. Whenever we were together." Ash was watching him with his eyebrow cocked. Dean coughed throatily, hands gesturing as he tried to explain how he knew with such certainty that Cas felt the same way, "I love him and he just- he definitely loves me, okay dude? I can feel it, in… in here." Dean thumped his chest over his heart, turning his burning, red face away from Ash's wide grin.

The other man nodded, sounding impressed. "Alright, I'm a believer. I thought I saw the sparks of true love cracklin' between you two." He ignored Dean's embarrassed muttering to continue, "Which is all the more reason for you NOT to fuck up your declaration of love to him." Dean stared at him, face concerned as he nodded, listening. "You gotta make it incredible. A heart-felt confession that encapsulates all the feelings he brings out in you. It's gotta leave no doubt that you and him should be together for ever. I'm talking some 'end of the world' level destiny-shit, you feel me?"

"Yeah, okay. So, what? I should make a list or something? Read it to him?"

Ash exhaled weakly and rolled his eyes. "Not a list, per se. A Love Letter. You just need to write down everything you want to tell him- everything that's tough to say out loud normally. The goo-ier the better. Then, you call him up, tell him you have something to say, just need a few seconds of his time, then read it. You can't just wing something like this, man. I know you- you'll wuss out, or feel like you're gonna grow a vagina and try to stop. No- write it all out and stick to it, even if it's embarrassing as fuck."

"That's… that's way better then my plan." Dean admitted, frowning as he considered it. "Yeah, I'm gonna do it. I'll write him the sappiest love letter ever!" He had so much he wanted to tell Cas. He couldn't just call him out of the blue and fumble his way through it. "Ash, you're a genius."

"True statement," agreed the man as he leaned back smugly.

…-^o^-…

"Pssst!"

Ruby grimaced, before asking lowly. "What's up, Charlie?"

"Um, how is the whole spying thing going?" Charlie whispered, peering around their desks carefully to make sure no one was listening.

Ruby frowned. "Not great. Lilith hasn't said too much, but… what she has said is weird. She keeps talking about the CPOA, and the leader of it, Azazel." Charlie turned to stare at her in surprise. "Have you not been watching the news from this weekend?" Ruby asked her. She frowned as the red-head shrugged helplessly. "There are some crazy rumors flying about the CPOA heirs and Castiel. You know- romantic rumors. Lilith keeps gloating, too. Something to do with her boss and Azazel meeting to discuss company business. From what I can tell, Zachariah might be the ringleader of everything, but he's not alone. This thing runs deep- stretches to a lot of the other executives. And it has something to do with the CPOA."

Charlie was stunned. "So, if Zachariah is behind everything then how do we help Castiel? He's totally gonna flip if he finds out the dude has been meeting with the CPOA head behind his back."

"He may already know. You remember that brunch meeting we scheduled for him?" Charlie nodded. "Apparently, Azazel was their- with his fucked up family. The news is having a field day. This is getting bigger and bigger the more I find out. And now these damn romance rumors…" Ruby trailed off, lost in thought.

"So, Zachariah AND Castiel are meeting with Azazel, and now there are romantic rumors floating around involving Castiel and Azazel's kids? I don't get it. Castiel isn't gonna tolerate that. What's the point of spreading stories?" Charlie looked lost.

"Just think about it!" Ruby hissed, annoyed. Charlie frowned, looking around the office space before scooting her chair closer to Ruby and leaning in to listen. Ruby bit out slowly, "We already know that Castiel is being blackmailed with those photos, right?" Charlie nodded, eyes wide. "Well, what if Zachariah and the other bad guys are working with the CPOA? What if they are using the missing money and the photos to try and corner Castiel into giving up the company?"

Charlie was indignant, "No way! He'd never do that! And none of the stockholders or other executives would let him anyway. They'd never agree to allowing Castiel to pass off the company to a bastard like Azazel. They'd stop the deal before it could happen."

"They would if it was a business deal..." Ruby replied, meeting Charlie's eye knowingly.

"…you lost me." Charlie admitted apologetically.

Ruby groaned, irritation finally getting the better of her. "I think they are trying to arrange for Castiel to marry one of the heirs!"

"NO-SHIT?!" Charlie hissed out, horrified.

"My sentiments, exactly." Came Alfie's whispered voice right behind the two women.

They jumped, flinging themselves apart, rattling their desks.

"HOLY-! FOR GOD'S SAKE- WEAR A BELL YOU LITTLE FREAK!" Ruby shouted angrily, drawing the attention of the entire office. There was several seconds of stunned silence as eyes searched for the target of her fury.

Alfie blinked at Ruby, stepping back a bit and looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to seem nosy." As the rest of the office shook their heads and returned to their work, he whispered, "But I agree. I think the bad guys are trying to force Mr. Novak into a marriage of convenience."

Ruby still looked pissed, but Charlie scooted closer to him. "You too?" She whispered. "I can't believe this! We have to stop them."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Ruby asked quietly. "They have photos that Castiel doesn't want leaked to the press. And they've stolen shit-loads of money from the company. If he goes to the police or tells the wrong person, then he could lose everything in a matter of seconds. Who gives a shit if Zachariah's rotting away in a white collar prison when the ADA is sinking? No, Castiel's pretty much fucked."

"Don't say that!" Charlie snapped, looking angry and startling Ruby. "We have to try everything we can. Castiel is our friend!"

Alfie was nodding but Ruby continued to frown. "If we try anything and get caught, we could be fired. Hell, depending on how crazy these fuckers are, we may lose more than our jobs."

"Gabriel is trusting you to protect his brother!" Charlie said accusingly.

Ruby sucked in a breath, stiffening as she stared at Charlie with wide-eyes. "You- that's not-! I don't care what that little shit wants! If he wanted Castiel protected then he should never have left! It's his own fault for running away!" Ruby's voice had risen, once again drawing attention from other people. She seemed to catch herself, taking several deep breaths before continuing, "Gabriel's not here. He ditched his brother- and all of us. He probably got threatened by them, too, then decided to cut and run. I bet he's sitting beachside somewhere right now while half-naked women rub sunscreen on him. Not a care in the world." Her voice was harsh, but her eyes were sad.

There was silence for several moments. Charlie's face was scrunched up, thinking hard. At last she spoke, her voice determined. "I'm gonna break into his office."

Ruby and Alfie turned to her in surprise.

"What?" Ruby watched her incredulously.

"I'm gonna break into Zachariah's office. He's gotta have proof of what he's planning in there. And those photos. I can steal all of it and take it to the press."

"Oh, no. I really don't think-" Alfie began, but Ruby cut him off.

"And how the hell do you expect to do that, huh? You're just going to stroll in past Lilith and HOPE that Zachariah isn't around while you search through all his shit? His entire office is surrounded by clear glass walls. You'll be seen by everyone."

"Then I'll do it tonight! No one will be around." Charlie countered.

"Yeah- no one but the roving security guards. Not to mention the motion sensors, cameras, and alarm systems that they turn on after working hours." Ruby responded, annoyed.

"Fine! I'll make a distraction to pull everyone out during the day. Alfie- you'll help me, right?"

Alfie looked uncharacteristically nervous, his usual smile replaced by a frown. "I don't like that idea, Ma'am. If you get caught-"

"I don't care about getting caught- or fired! I'm not going to let Castiel be bullied into giving up the company! I'm doing it! You can both either help me or get the hell out of my way!"

Alfie and Ruby just stared at her. The seconds turned into almost a full minute before Ruby spoke, "Alright." Charlie and Alfie looked at her as she nodded her head grimly. "I'll help. Fuck- I've got nothing left to lose."

"Thanks, Ruby." Charlie whispered, a small smile breaking on her sad face. "Alfie…?"

Both women looked up at him standing behind them. Again, his normal smile was gone. He looked… serious. Too serious. It felt for a moment like a completely different person was standing beside them. When he spoke, his voice was solemn. "I can't allow this. I'm sorry- it's too dangerous."

"Allow?" Ruby's voice laced with sarcastic humor. "What are you going to do? Rat us out to Naomi? Castiel?"

Alfie looked pained for a moment. "Please reconsider. I'll help you find another, safer way to do this. Zachariah is… dangerous. If he finds out you know what is going on, who knows what lengths he'll go to in order to keep you quiet."

Both women were silent, considering his words.

Before anything else could be said, Dick Roman suddenly appeared in front of them, dropping an armload of paperwork onto Charlie's desk.

He looked stressed, his eyes were ringed with dark circles but were wide, darting constantly over the many faces in the office. He looked tired, which was the norm, but also more nervous than usual.

He almost looked… hunted.

The impression was further substantiated when the ding of the elevator arriving across the office caused the man to jump and snap his attention in the direction of the people arriving. He was poised as if to bolt.

He visibly relaxed after the last person disembarked and the elevator doors closed.

At last, Dick turned his attention to the secretaries and Alfie, all of whom were staring at him like he was a bomb about to explode.

He scowled at them, his normal mask of severe disapproval and superiority slipping back into place. "I have the invitations for Mr. Novak. Please see that he gets them. My team is arranging the luncheon for today, as well as the charity fundraiser tonight. This week's schedule is still being put together. They will get the details to you."

He began to leave hurriedly, but Charlie stopped him. "Oh- well, Castiel's in his office now, finishing up some conference calls with Naomi. You can take the invites in to him if-"

"-No." Dick bit out angrily, glaring at the closed office door, before turning sharply.

They watched his walk stiffly away. The elevator dinged again as he was half-way across the office and Balthazar stepped out wearing his usual smirk.

He broke into a bright grin as he caught sight of Dick, who had frozen mid-step where he stood.

Balthazar's hand began to raise in greeting, but Dick had already spun and sprinted back in the opposite direction of the elevator. He passed the secretary's desks at full speed and pushed his way into Castiel's office.

The door shut with a slam, followed by the sound of the lock being thrown.

The attention of the entire startled office shifted from the door of Castiel's office to Balthazar, who was strolling across the large space with a look of barely contained glee on his face.

He arrived at the secretary's desks, eyeing the door with twinkling eyes as he pulled up a nearby chair.

Then, he sat, crossed his legs and arms, and began to cheerfully hum the tune of 'Hungry Like the Wolf'.

Ruby, Charlie and Alfie pulled their gazes from him slowly with confused glances at one another.

Alfie broke the awkward silence, glancing carefully at the man seated just a few feet from them. "Please agree not to… do what you're planning." His voice was pleading as he met Charlie's eye.

"If you don't need anything else, Alfie, we have a lot of work to do here. Please get back to your own desk." Ruby ordered, her voice calm but edged with warning.

Alfie hesitated, but finally left.

…-^o^-…

"Mr. Roman, did you need something?" Naomi asked, watching the man carefully as he leaned his body against the office door as if it was about to be kicked in.

Castiel was also staring at him from where he sat behind his desk, papers in hand as if he had been going over them with the woman before Dick had burst in and interrupted them.

"…do you have any bedsheets?" Dick asked, voiced laced with a mixture of hope and dread.

They shook their heads slowly, casting worried glances at each other.

"I'll, uh, just sit over here," He pointed at the sofas across the room. "Just...don't mind me," he mumbled as he collapsed heavily onto the cushions, hands raising to rub his eyes.

"Do you want me to bring you something, Mr. Roman? Maybe some water?" Naomi rose, watching him carefully as she started for the door.

"No! No- don't OPEN IT!" Dick was on his feet, hands raised to stop her.

"Dick? What's wrong with you?" Castiel asked, concerned. He and Naomi exchanged more worried glances at the man, then at the door.

Dick gestured emphatically for Castiel to lower his voice. Then, he placed his finger over his mouth for silence and whispered, "HE'S out there!"

The other two's eyebrows raised, waiting.

"Okay… who?" Castiel asked carefully, his voice dropping to play along.

"Balthazar!" Dick hissed at him, eyes darting to the door.

"Ah," Castiel sighed with understanding, "I had been wondering about that…"

And apparently Castiel decided not to address the matter any further. He picked his papers back up as he spoke to Naomi, "Where were we?" Naomi began reciting metrics, both ignoring Dick as they returned to their work.

Happy to be ignored, Dick collapsed back onto the sofa, allowing himself to finally relax for the first time since waking up from an incredible sleep Sunday morning, only to find himself nuzzled against a grinning Balthazar.

With no Castiel in sight, of course.

Just him and the British man in bed... alone.

I don't deserve this, he repeated over and over in his head.

This had to be some sort of cosmic punishment.

He must have been a real bastard in another life.

…-^o^-…

Dean had been expecting the slap from Ellen.

He relaxed his face and let it happen. He winced through the burning pain, letting it absorb into his nerves.

Then he saw Jo moving forward toward him and prepared for another slap, eyes closing with anticipation.

Instead his head slammed sideways from the impact of small, tight fist.

Damn.

Dean crouched, hand raised to gingerly press against the sharp pain in his cheek as he assessed the damage. It was a solid hit. Closed fist. Pretty good for hundred pound girl.

He sucked in a breath as he raised his head. The two pissed off women turned to Lisa, who was standing just beside him. She had her head down, shoulders slumped. She gave a small sniffle, followed by a quiet, "I'm so sorry."

And with just that, Ellen and Jo both erupted into gentle murmurs as they threw their arms around her for a comforting hug.

"Seriously…?" Dean grumbled, cringing when Ellen shot him a threatening glare. "Yeah, fine. Whatever. Shutting up now." He nursed his sore face, with the cool side of a glass tumbler as he took up his seat at the bar.

Behind him, he heard Jo and Ellen assuring Lisa that they weren't angry with her, just upset. They understood. No- of course they were still best-besties for, like, ever…

Geez, chicks… Dean thought to himself, but wisely didn't say it out loud. He was lucky to get off as easy as he did, anyway. Ellen kept a shotgun loaded will salt rounds behind the counter, for when the crowds got a little too out of hand.

Or when someone just pissed her off too much.

No, a slap and a punch was just fine.

He kept listening to the crooning behind him until the TV caught his attention.

-very excited to have Mr. Castiel Novak joining them this evening at the LGBT Community Awareness Fundraiser. Just earlier today, he surprised everyone by making an appearance at the AIDS Support Outreach Luncheon hosted by-

Dean wasn't paying attention to the reporter anymore. His focus was entirely on the image of Cas smiling and waving as he shook hands with a group of people. He was dressed in a casual black suit with a white dress shirt- no tie. It gave him a relaxed, but elegant look. Made his eyes stand out like blue beams.

Dean caught himself drooling as he eagerly soaked up the sight. The real treat was when the cameras followed Castiel as the man turned to speak to someone, his pert ass displayed in the well tailored pants for the world to enjoy.

One of the elderly women shaking Cas's hand leaned her winkled face in to whisper something to him, causing Cas to break into a beautiful blushing smile. The smile was replaced with a look of shock as the old bag reached around to pinch his ass and grin saucily at him.

"Oi! The hell-?" Dean shouted, torn between indignation and humor at the blatant groping. He watched as Cas delicately removed the offending hand, patting it nervously, his wide blue eyes darting towards the camera.

The image froze at that moment, permanently locking Cas's bright eyes and blushing face on the audience.

The reporter was laughing,

-And it seems like the CPOA's Bela may have some competition for Castiel Novak's attention! Really, with a face like that, who wouldn't take an opportunity to cop a feel? Speaking of the CPOA, it appears that Azazel and his family were quick to accept the invite to the fundraiser this evening shortly after Mr. Novak, himself. Coincidence? Or is there more happening behind the scenes between the wealthy heirs of San Diego? One thing is for sure- all eyes are going to be on Bela and Castiel this evening!-

Dean growled under his breath. A hand on his shoulder caused him to jerk around. Lisa, Ellen and Jo were staring at him. Lisa squeezed his shoulder gently, giving him a small smile. "You okay?" Her eyes indicated the TV before returning to him.

Dean shrugged, calming down a little. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… frustrating. I hate being away from him like this."

Lisa and the other two women nodded in understanding. They moved, Ellen slipping into her familiar spot behind the bar, while Jo and Lisa slid onto the stools beside him.

"So, are you going to call him tonight, then?" Lisa asked.

Dean shook his head, then explained to the women about Ash's suggestion to write a letter. He could feel his face flushing as he described what was going to be in the contents. To his horror, the women squealed loudly.

"Oh my God- that's so sweet!" Jo shrieked.

"Can we read what you have so far?" Lisa asked.

"Oh- yeah! You have to let us read it! We'll tell you if it's any good!" Jo added excitedly.

Even Ellen scooted closer, pretending to be engrossed in wiping down that particularly dirty portion of the counter right in front of Dean.

Dean frowned, embarrassed. "Well, I- I haven't actually started it yet. I mean, I tried. But, you know…"

"Ohhh! Come on! Just write from the heart- it's easy!" Jo told him, the other two women nodding their heads sagely.

"Geez- maybe for chicks. I've been trying to write the first sentence since lunch. All I've got so far is 'your blue eyes'."

There was a pause before Lisa asked slowly, "His blue eyes… what?"

"I don't KNOW! That's the problem! I can't even finish the first damn sentence." Dean snapped. When Ash had suggested the idea, Dean had thought it would be easy. After all, he knew how Cas made him feel.

But writing it…? Fuck that.

It was like Dean's vocabulary suddenly narrowed down to just a few pathetic words. And the two most prominent were 'blue' and 'sexy'.

He was doomed.

"Okay, well don't panic. We'll help you write the most perfect, heartfelt love letter ever!" Jo promised cheerfully, Lisa nodding from his other side.

"Er, thanks, I guess." Dean mumbled.

He DID need help. It was just… weird to describe his feeling about Cas to others. Too… chick-ish. Next they'd be braiding each other's hair and watching Lifetime Movies together.

He just wanted to knock this out as soon as possible so he could call Cas and tell him how he felt. Be back together with him as soon as fucking possible.

But, if they helped him get Cas back….

Dean sighed. "Alright. How do I start?"

…-^o^-…

"What the HELL?" Charlie whispered angrily to Ruby who was sitting next to her.

"I told you…" Ruby bit out the reply quietly.

"Well then, maybe you could explain it to me, because I am having a hard time understanding just what the hell I am seeing." Dick growled from the other side of Charlie.

It was early evening. They were sitting around a large table, crystal glasses, fine china, and actual 'silver' silverware placed in front of them.

But no one was paying any attention to their plates. All eyes at their table- as well as practically every table in the dining hall- were focused on the table further away where Castiel sat, wedged between the CPOA heirs Bela and Tom. At the same table was the ever-scowling Meg (decked out in a full sleeved black dress, apparently meant to cover as many tattoos as possible), the CPOA Head, Zachariah, and through Castiel's insistence- Naomi. The rest of the ADA group had been unceremoniously banished to a separate table, despite the name cards that had been set out.

Ruby shifted uncomfortably in her seat, searching for a way to avoid Dick's question. "Well… you know- the rumors…" She hedged.

"Oh, that." Dick replied bitterly. "Yes, my team has been trying to sort that mess out all day." He stared at the other table, seeming perplexed. "I mentioned it to both him and Naomi earlier. I told him he needed to issue a statement, then distance himself from that whole family."

"I'm guessing he ignored your suggestion?" Ruby asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Unfortunately." Dick replied, eyes narrowing as Bela slipped her slender hand around the back of Castiel's neck and smiled as she whispered something into his ear. Dick glared with confusion at the intimate gesture. "I just… don't understand 'why'."

Ruby exchanged a knowing glance with Charlie.

"Oh, relax a bit, Dickie." Balthazar grinned as he leaned in too close on Dick's other side, fingers grazing quickly over Dick's where they were clenching the table's edge tightly.

Dick pulled his hand away, face dropping into the cool mask of pointed disinterest as he ground out slowly, so only Balthazar could hear him, "I'd be able to relax better if you would STOP rubbing your foot up my leg."

Balthazar chuckled, continuing to do just that as he turned to address Alfie. "And what's got you so uptight today, chum? You're usually all smiles and sunshine."

Alfie turned his attention back to the rest of the table, familiar smile slipping back into place as he answered, "Oh, just thinking, sir." His worried eyes moved to Charlie and Ruby, who purposely ignored him.

Balthazar watched the younger man curiously. No one else seemed to mind his sudden attitude change, their eyes back to following the events at Castiel's table, where Tom was apparently attempting- and definitely failing at- seducing the youngest Novak away from his over-enthusiastic sister.

A light tap on his shoulder had Balthazar turning. "A note for you, monsieur." A small card was handed to him. Balthazar took it from the waiter, reading over it quickly.

'Meet me in the hotel bar soonest. –Loki'

Balthazar just managed not to snap his head around to draw unnecessary attention to the departing waiter.

Instead, he patted Dick's thigh under the table, causing the man to jump in surprise, and earning him a low warning growl, "Try not to miss me, Dickie. I'll only be a moment." He excused himself quietly with a grin at Dick's indignant stuttering.

…

"Please tell me you have a plan." Balthazar said as he slipped onto the barstool in the dimly lit room. "It pains me to see your brother man-handled by that gold-digging harlot."

Already changed into yet another disguise- this one a cowboy with a eccentric handle-bar mustache- Gabriel remained silent from his seat on Balthazar's left.

"What? Nothing at all? I thought you were planning an extensive, hate-fueled revenge orgy on these bastards. What's happened?" Balthazar asked.

"They pulled an unexpected card." Gabriel finally answered, his tone low and bitter.

"What do you mean? Does it have to do with this CPOA nonsense?" The blond man asked, watching his friend closely.

Gabriel gave a short nod, sighing. "Oh, ho, that's just it's own little horrible part of this mess. This thing is bigger than I anticipated. It's not internal to the company, Balthy. It's huge, with lots of moving parts and players. They've covered all their bases, too. I can't make a move against them now. They're threatening to expose Dean and send all this craziness his way. Maybe worse..." He slumped in his seat, a look of defeat spread across what little features Balthazar could discern past the massive mustache.

"So that's our Achilles heel then? Dean Winchester, the bloody mechanic?"

"Well, him AND I still haven't found the money. I need resources to hack into the company database. Even if I make it past security, I have no idea how to trace the money. Sure, I can bleed the fuckers' names to the police and press, and have the whole damn story on the evening news, but without that missing money, the company will still sink. Oh, and, by the way, this 'CPOA nonsense' is a forced marriage plan to allow Azazel to get his hands on half the damn company. And it's going to happen by Monday of next week, so fuck me. If I don't have the money trail, I can't prove Azazel is involved. I'll be damned if he walks out of this with his hands clean when it's over." Gabriel thumped his hand on the surface of the bar angrily. "I just can't figure out a way around this without somebody ending up screwed or walking away free as a bird."

They sat together in a hopeless silence as the noises from the distant dining hall echoed in and a few people bustled busily around them.

"Well, shit," Balthazar finally muttered eloquently in response to the inundation of news.

"Ditto," said his neighbor on the right.

Both heads turned.

"MOTHERFUCKING ALFIE-"

"WHEN IN THE BLOODY HELL-?"

The two men erupted in surprised curses, drawing the attention of the barkeep and scattered patrons. Realizing they were causing a scene, Gabriel lowered his voice and hissed across Balthazar to the young man, "Kid, I am REALLY getting sick of your sneaky-shit. How long have you been listening?"

"I followed Balthazar when I saw you give him the note, sir. But, I'm here because there's something important I need to tell you."

"Hold on. Wait. Are we 'trusting' him?" Balthazar pointed at Alfie.

Gabriel nodded, "Yeah, he's clean. He's already helped me out a few times so far. Ninja-like stealth skills aside, I trust that he's not helping Zachariah and those fucks."

Balthazar eyed Alfie warily, but shrugged nonetheless. "Fine, I suppose. Continue."

Alfie looked around him to meet Gabriel's eye. "It's Ruby, sir. She and Charlie have caught on to the blackmail scheme and are planning to break into Zachariah's office to find evidence against him."

"What!?" Gabriel wheezed, words seeming to fail him suddenly. He sputtered furiously for several seconds before spitting out, "They can't do that! These people are insane! Who knows what they'll do to them if they get caught!"

Alfie was already nodding, "That's what I tried to tell them, sir. But, they won't back down. They already suspect that Azazel is arranging a marriage to get the company. They think if they can find the photos as proof of the blackmail, then they can hand them over to the police and save your brother."

"God damn it!" Gabriel cursed. "That'll only screw everyone over! We have to stop them. When are they planning to do it?"

"I don't know, sir. They cut me out when I tried to talk them out of it. I think as early as tomorrow. Whenever they have a shot to sneak into the empty office. I know that Castiel is scheduled to run in the 10K downtown. It's likely that Zachariah and the others will be there for the cameras, too. That may be the chance they need."

"Fuck. Then I'll need to find a way to stop them before the idiots get themselves caught. Balthy- can you help?"

"Oh, yes, sure. It's not as if there are dozens of camera crews stationed outside the entrances and exits to the building, all searching for the missing eldest Novak brother. Not to mention security everywhere. Walk in the park, really."

"I'm going to take that as 'yes'. You're a great friend, buddy." Gabriel responded, ignoring the sarcasm. "Alfie, you're going to be our eyes and ears. Stay behind tomorrow. As soon as you see them make their move to get into Zachariah's office, let me know by calling my burner cell, got it?"

"Yes, sir. But, what if you get caught, too? You're much more valuable than two secretaries." Alfie protested.

"NO ONE is more valuable than Ruby, kid." Gabriel ground out dangerously. Alfie had the sense to nod in agreement.

"Oh, yes. Well, that clears up my confusion. Right then- let's all risk our lives for Love. Because that's obviously going to save the world." Balthazar stated caustically.

As if on cue, Dick's voice carried from across the room. "Of course you're here, in the bar. How typical. And you too, Alfie? Are you even old enough...?"

The man began to approach them at the bar, apparently not noticing the third patron, who was suddenly turned away from the others suffering some sort of coughing fit. Balthazar moved quick, pulling Dick's sharp gaze away from Gabriel's back. He jumped up and met the man halfway, "Oh, Dickie! You missed me! How sweet!"

Dick came up short, eyes darting nervously around the small crowd gathered in the bar. "Wha-? No- Will you just- shut up, already? It's not like that! It's- the event is almost over. I didn't want the chauffeurs to have to wait on you two, that's all."

He spun around angrily, hurrying out. Balthazar glanced back once at Gabriel, before he and Alfie followed after Dick.

Gabriel heard his friend's cheerful voice teasing in the hotel lobby, "Dickie, dearest, slow down! We can sit together on the ride back…!"

"…let go of me, you moron…"

"…and then we can cuddle again tonight, like before…"

"…I said NEVER mention that again…!"

The voices finally faded away, leaving Gabriel alone with his worried thoughts.

"Come on, Rube. Don't do anything reckless…"

…-^o^-…

"No, no, no! That's way too long. It should be brief, but poignant- like a haiku." Benny insisted, craning over Dean's shoulder.

"You can't fit a profession of love into short syllable count, you idiot! It needs to clear and structured. Like an essay. Intro, body, conclusion." Sam stated, emphasizing each section with his hands.

Dean frowned as he scribbled hurriedly in the little remaining blank space on his paper.

"I think it needs more powerful and illustrative words." Jo suggested, leaning forward to read over the letter again. "Like, change 'beautiful eyes' to 'magnificent orbs'. Oh, and right there-! Change 'miss you a lot' to 'crave your presence'. Dean flipped his pencil over to make the corrections, trying to remember the phrases as everyone continued talking around him.

"That sounds way too contrived. No- it needs to sound like 'Dean' said it, not Shakespeare." Mary argued, waving her hand dismissively. Dean stopped, unsure whether to make the changes or put the old words back.

"Should use exclamation marks." Bobby's gruff voice carried from where he sat over by the bar. "Shows enthusiasm."

Dean bit his lip, but dutifully started to convert the periods in each sentence to exclamation marks.

"Aw, no!" Garth cried out, "Now it looks like he's yelling the whole time."

The group burst into another loud argument about how the letter should be written. Dean tried to listen to them all as they pointed out changes and improvements. The paper now looked like an over-enthusiastic grade schooler hyped up on sugar and dreams of being a famous author had got ahold of it.

It was suddenly pulled from his hand for what must have been the tenth time that night, to be passed around and fussed over by everyone.

"It should describe his dreams for their future together, too. To hook him in and make him think long-term," Lisa insisted loudly over the other voices.

Great. Now he had to plan out his and Cas's future together? They hadn't even talked about any of that in the short time they had. Just kind of… a sort of general agreement that there continue to be sex. Maybe in the Impala for a change of scenery…

Dean watched worriedly as his profession of love to Cas was yanked and rifled and crunched as it made it's way around the large group. Even Pamela, Jodi, and Rufus had come over and were making heated contributions about the contents.

As he watched helplessly while the small sheet of paper danced from eager hand to eager hand, he saw his father's silent form stand from his spot by Bobby and silently leave the bar.

Dean's chest squeezed painfully again as he watched the man exit without a word.

It hurt.

His dad's approval had always been huge to Dean. He relied on it.

He was the 'good son'. The obedient one. Always trying to make his father proud.

Now his dad couldn't even be in the same room as him.

Dean turned his attention back to the shouting group, where Sam was apparently calling Ellen an idiot as she shoved her finger in his red face and threatened to shove her shiny new boots up his ass.

…-^o^-…

The 10K Fun Run started at 1000 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Castiel and the ADA group arrived almost an hour early to get registered.

As expected, the press was there en masse, ready to capture the shots of Castiel Novak during the run.

And, of course, the CPOA heirs were there. Azazel was beaming with his crooked smile as several reporters flocked hungrily around him.

Bela was decked out in a hot pink outfit that seemed more suited for a fitness fashion show than an actual event that required sweating. She matched the clothing with expensive looking earrings and jewelry, and matching eyeshadow.

Then, there were her shoes. She was wearing heels. Sports heels, apparently, judging by the famous brand symbol on the sides.

Tom was wearing a flashy neon sweatsuit that made his withdrawn and bored features seem almost comical.

Meg, in contrast to her brother and sister, was wearing sensible black capris, and a lime green t-shirt with the bright orange words 'SD Parents Against Drugs and Alcohol!' She was standing as far from her siblings and father as she could manage, keeping clear of the camera lenses.

Castiel barely had time to take in the CPOA group in horror through the tinted windows before Uriel was opening the limo door. Taking a sustaining breath, Castiel emerged.

Too soon the mass of reporters were on him, their microphones shoved into his face as cameras flashed brightly. Dick appeared behind him, already pushing at reporters before he was fully out of the limo. Behind them both trailed a grinning Zachariah and frowning Naomi. Charlie, Ruby, and even Alfie had decided to stay at the ADA offices to make a dent in the piles of work. For a moment Castiel wished that Charlie and her samurai sword were on hand to clear him a path.

Castiel had just enough time to notice the crowd of reporters parting before Bela was suddenly crammed into his personal space. She smiled at him, perfectly pearly white teeth flashing. "Darling, I've been waiting for you to arrive. Isn't this so exciting?" Her matching pink claws dug into his arm as she leaned even closer to him.

A tug at his other arm had him turning to find Tom standing stiffly beside him, a close-lipped smile that didn't reach his eyes spread across his pale face.

The reporters exploded into questions, their voices combining to an annoying buzz that reminded him of the animal documentaries when a group of hundreds of tiny monkeys were under attack by a hungry lion.

He was aware that both Bela and Tom were answering the press, but he ignored the conversations. He had no say anyway. Better to just let Bela and Tom entertain the media just as they had been doing over the last few days. Less tedious work for him.

Castiel could practically feel Dick's disapproval radiating from the taller man as they tried to move through the thick mass of bodies and cameras. Castiel had been passively ignoring Dick's frustrated advice to steer clear of the CPOA family. The guilt from the events of Saturday night still burned strong, but Castiel was happy to find that Balthazar's… sudden and alarming interest in Dick was providing a very effective distraction. Unfortunately, Balthazar had also bailed out on Castiel to stay and work at the offices.

Through the break in the bodies of reporters, Castiel could see Meg and Azazel standing close. He frowned, watching as Azazel gripped his daughter's arm tightly, bending to say something to her, his face scrunched up in anger. She rolled her eyes dramatically, scowling as she pulled her arm back. She stomped stiffly towards Castiel and the large throng of cameras.

Castiel moved fast, yanking his arms from Bela and Tom before they knew what was happening. Then, without a word he ducked low and roughly shoved his way through the dumbfounded reporters.

He broke loose, hurrying to Meg. She seemed taken aback when he appeared in front of her. He leaned in quickly before the crowd caught up to him, and asked, "Are you alright? I saw your father…"

She gave him an annoyed look, then shot a glare in the direction of her dad. "Just the usual bullshit. I can handle it."

"Well! Isn't this exciting! Castiel Novak and the CPOA Head's youngest daughter, Meg!" With a small groan, Castiel turned towards the voice. Cathy Campbell stood beside them, camera rolling as she pressed a microphone eagerly in their direction. "The public is just dying to know- is there a clandestine love affair in the air?"

By that point, the rest of the media horde had shifted back to surround them. More microphones were thrown into their faces, awaiting an answer to Cathy's question.

Castiel pointedly ignored them all. He spoke conversationally to Meg as he started walking toward the sign up tables. The group, and Meg, were forced to step with him. "Are you running as part of a group today?" He nodded to her conspicuous shirt.

She noticed his look. "Yeah, supposed to be." She eyed the cameras and microphones angrily, before continuing, "Clarence's school is letting them play the run on TV, since so many parents are participating."

Castiel smiled as the group jostled each other around them. "He must be excited."

"Yeah. He even made a sign last night to hold up in front of the TV- said it was to help me run faster." She smiled as Castiel chuckled at the idea.

They made it to the table. Dick was already there, holding up an extra race number page for him. He watched as Dick's eyes fell on Meg with something close to disgust.

"Well," She muttered, "that's a look I didn't think I'd see again after I broke up with Clarence's dickwad-dad."

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, he doesn't know about… everything." Castiel replied apologetically.

"Whatever. I've done my due diligence and been seen with you. Maybe my dad'll get off my back now." Meg responded uncaring. "I'm getting dragged to this fucking fancy dinner tonight. See you there, I guess, angel-cakes."

She separated quickly, elbowing her way through the crowd and disappearing.

Castiel almost wanted to escape with her.

He sighed instead and pushed his way over to Dick, who had moved back to limo.

At least he'd be free to run once the race started.

With a small smile, Castiel set all his phone, wallet and other various items into the limo and pulled out his music and water-bottle.

He had a 10K to run. No distractions. No Bela or Tom (at least, Castiel assumed as much, judging by their impractical clothing and obvious disdain for actual exercise).

Just him and an open road. It was a relaxing thought, which was unfortunately interrupted by loud clicking of cameras nearby.

He couldn't wait to leave them in his dust.

…-^o^-…

It had taken all day and most of the night, but he had it.

The perfect love letter for Cas.

It had everything, taking suggestions from all of Dean's friends and family.

He was very proud of it. No way Cas could say no to a letter like this.

Dean was so excited to finally have it completed, he asked Bobby for the morning off to make 'The Call'.

Unsurprisingly, Bobby had said 'Hell no' and told him to get his lazy ass in to work.

So, Dean was forced to spend the morning elbow deep in a Honda, mind racing as he watched the clock, waiting for his lunch break.

When it finally came, Dean dropped everything to race home. Sitting at the kitchen table, phone in hand and letter in front of him, his heart started racing uncontrollably.

He was dying to hear Cas's rough voice. Couldn't wait to read the letter. Tell him everything.

Tell him he was in love with him.

It was probably going to be a shock for the other man, but a good one, Dean figured.

Hoped.

Shit- he was getting nervous. He just needed to do it. Then it was just a matter of reading the letter and letting it do the talking. Thank god for Ash and his premonition that Dean was going to fuck this up without a written script.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Dean dialed Cas's cell number. It began ringing-

-and continued ringing-

-then finally went to voice mail.

Dean sputtered, unsure whether to hang up or not. Too late, there was a beep, and he was on.

"Uh, okay, um, hey Cas. It's me- uh- Dean. I-I was just, you know, calling to, um,- because I was hoping that- yeah. I- I wanted to tell you something, and, well, not really over the voicemail machine, you know. So, I, um, yep, I'll- I'll just try again. Or, you could call me back! I mean, you know, you're probably, like, super-busy and all. So, no. I'll try again. Uh, soon, so, be ready, I guess. Right. Yeah, so, bye."

Dean ended the call and promptly slammed his head into the table- hard.

Then did it again, for good measure.

Holy shit, there HAD to be a way to remotely delete a voicemail. Fuck-! He had sounded like a damn idiot! God, if Cas heard that he would probably not call back on principle.

Dean banged his head on the table several more times, relishing in the physical pain.

His phone went off, indicating a text and causing him to jump at the sound.

It was from Cas.

Dean's heart immediately leapt into his throat. His hands were trembling with nerves and anticipation as he opened the text.

C: We're done Dean. I already have someone else in my life now. Be considerate and don't call me again. I don't want to speak to you.

…

Dean realized he wasn't breathing and tried to choke in some air. He read the text over and over again. But it didn't change.

It was clear. Final.

Cas had moved on.

…-^o^-…

"That was too close. We can't afford to have that damn mechanic getting involved. It could ruin everything." Zachariah ground out angrily. He stood by the limo with Uriel, Azazel, Bela and Tom while they waited for the run to end. "Delete the voicemail and the text from his phone. He can't know about the call."

Bela did so, while Azazel addressed Zachariah. "I don't like this. That mechanic is one of the best pieces of leverage we have."

Zachariah spared him a glare. "Yes- I'm aware of that. Fortunately, he won't matter by the end of this week. We just need to be patient until Castiel makes the engagement announcement. Everything is fine. The text Bela sent will keep 'Dean' away."

"I'd like to believe that, but I've got quite a lot riding on this." Azazel snapped. "We need to move the timeline up. It was stupid to give him so much time. Too much can go wrong."

Zachariah thought about it carefully. "You may have a point there. The media HAS been fairly receptive of the notion that Castiel is in a secret romance. We really don't need to stall any longer." He watched Bela as she leaned casually back in the seat of the limo, sipping chilled champagne. "Yes. I think we've established a solid enough relationship. Let's have Castiel make the announcement this evening."

…-^o^-…

Dean wasn't sure how long he had been sitting with his head down on the kitchen table. It didn't matter. Work didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

He couldn't even bring himself to look at his phone again. The sting of the text was too painful.

He didn't even want to touch the device.

Beside him, his letter sat, rumpled and neglected, reminding him of the arrogant belief that Cas was as in love with him as he was.

He had already moved on….

The image of the glamorous woman from the TV kept appearing in Dean's mind, making his stomach knot.

Was she the one?

How was that even possible?

She wasn't right for Cas. She was-

He abruptly cut off his bitter mental rampage against the woman. He didn't have the right. Maybe she was the person Cas had mentioned in the text. Maybe she wasn't.

Dean really hoped she wasn't.

Cas deserved…

God Damn it-! Cas deserved him. No one else could love Cas half as much as Dean. Not that shallow bitch, or anyone else!

Dean felt like he was going to be sick, but his body revolted at the idea of moving. Or breathing. Or continuing to live, in general.

He wanted to die. Just fade away right here and now. He wouldn't fight it.

He just wanted the horrible pain of rejection to stop.

He felt the burn of tears stinging his eyes.

"…Dean? Everything, uh, okay...?"

Dean's body convulsed with surprise, but he kept his head cradled in his arms. The last thing in the entire world that he needed right now was his father seeing him crying over a guy.

"…Yeah. I'm good. Just…need a few minutes." He hoped his muffled words would be enough to push his father away so he could recover enough to drag himself to the privacy of his room.

Even if his father did suspect he was upset, surely the mutual embarrassment alone would make him choose to leave.

Or not.

"Did you, uh… make that phone call."

Shit. The letter was sitting on the table in plain sight. Dean's hand snatched it up, his head remaining covered.

"…."

"Uh…didn't go well, then?" John's hesitant voice was becoming laced with concern. "I can, um, go get your mother for you…"

"No! No- don't. I'm- I'm fine. Just… leave."

The sound of a chair being pulled out told Dean that his father had joined him at the table.

"I, uh, I figured it would go pretty well," John muttered gruffly, the tinge of uncomfortableness in his voice, "Everyone's been telling me this Castiel fellow was very… uh, he liked you a lot." His father fumbled ungracefully. His voice suddenly became firmer, "He wasn't rude to you, was he? Because you worked hard on that letter, and it takes a lot to tell someone how you feel."

Dean almost laughed at his dad's defensive tone. He sounded like he was talking to his teenage daughter after she was turned down by a crush. But, at least he was trying.

"No, dad. I didn't read him the letter. He…" Dean paused before he could choke, refusing to let his father hear him so much as sniffle. Sure, he probably already caught on, but they could at least pretend he wasn't. "He didn't take my call. Then he…" Shit, this was too fucking humiliating. He hated his father, of all people, seeing him like this.

Dean slid the phone in his father's general direction and muttered 'text'.

There was silence as Dean assumed his father was reading Cas's text. After a few moments, his father asked, "What are you going to do about it?"

Dean almost raised his head to look at his father. "…huh?"

He heard John grunt as he answered, "Well, seems like he isn't going to take your calls, so what's plan B?"

Dean lifted his head, and fuck looking like a sobbing chick. "Plan B?"

His father had the decency to ignore his red eyes. "Yeah. Plan B. Don't tell me you haven't got a Plan B yet." He frowned as if he was disappointed in his son. "What have I always told you- you don't ever rush into something without having at least one back up plan. You know better than that."

Dean ducked his eyes, the familiar shame of his father's disapproval almost comforting. "I, uh, didn't think I needed one…"

"You got cocky, huh? How many times have I warned you about that. If you want something you gotta earn it, son. If you want this- this 'Castiel' then you had better be willing to work to get him back. Nothing in life is easy."

"I don't know what to do," Dean responded, his voice becoming less shaky as he spoke. "He says there's someone else. I can't just," he waved his hand helplessly, "Show up in San Diego and demand he see me."

"Why not?"

"Wh-what?" Dean scoffed, "Because that's crazy! I'd look like a freakin' stalker. He already said we're through."

"Well, it seems like he should at least have to hear you out before it's over. You still owe him an apology, don't you? I reckon he should at least hear you say your piece."

"Dad he… he doesn't want to hear it." Dean muttered hoarsely, his head dropping.

"Then you damn-well better make him. I didn't raise you to be a coward. If you- if you really love him, then you man-up and tell him so. Doesn't matter if he doesn't wanna hear it. That's on him. But being too scared to tell him to his face, and hear the answer for yourself? That's on you."

Dean was flabbergasted. "I…I thought you, uh, weren't okay with," Dean gestured to the letter, "with all of this. With me and Cas."

John frowned at his son, like he was studying him. "I'm not." Dean winced at the admission. "I can't make any sense of it. Never seen you look twice at anything that didn't have boobs. Then suddenly I've got everybody and their mother telling me you're falling for a guy you just met. Sounds reckless. Bound to end bad." Dean opened his mouth to speak, but his father cut him off. "Let me finish, boy," he ordered. "I'm not saying I have a problem with it. I ain't saying I'm okay with it, either. I'm saying you need to prove that you're serious about this. A few weeks of staring and holding hands is nothing. Hell, I've had colds that have lasted longer than that. If you expect me to believe that you're serious about this man, then you better start convincing me. And you ain't off to a good start with this whole Lisa-pregnancy mess you made. I'm having a tough time matching up what you're saying with what you've been doing. You wanna make a believer outta me, then get your ass to San Diego and make a fool out of yourself if you have to. But I sure as hell better not find you sitting in the damn kitchen moping because you're too scared-shitless to do what needs to be done."

Dean swallowed thickly. "O-okay. Yeah. I'm not going to let a stupid text stop me. If he wants to tell me 'no', he can do it to my face."

John nodded encouragingly, "That's more like it."

Dean relaxed, everything suddenly seeming clearer. He had purpose. A mission. He couldn't get sidelined by a text.

He said he wasn't going to take no for an answer, and he came close to doing just that. Just because his plan hadn't gone the way he expected didn't mean he and Cas weren't meant to be together. It just meant Cas didn't believe in him. In THEM.

Dean had already burned him once before. Of course he was moving on. He didn't know how Dean really felt. Not yet.

But he would.

"Thanks dad. I really needed that," Dean stated, truthfully. "I'm, uh, I'm glad you aren't totally against, you know, me and Cas. I was kinda worried."

John shrugged, his wide shoulders moving like mountains, and mumbled, "Nah. Your mother and I kinda talked it out already years ago."

"What?" Dean grunted, confused. "How- how could you have possibly expected me to be into guys. 'I' didn't even think it was possible!" Dean exclaimed in shock.

"Er," John winced, "not you, Dean." He made a point not to look at his oldest son.

Dean frowned, then suddenly a wicked smile split across his face. "No." His father shrugged again. "NO. No way! You guys thought SAMMY-!? OH MY GOD!" Dean collapsed into hysterics. "You seriously thought Sammy was gay?! Oh, shit- I'm never gonna let him live this down!"

"You might wanna reconsider that, son. All things considered." John admonished with the hint of a smile.

Dean's own grin faltered. "Oh...yeah. Good point."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many things are starting to come together! Lots of confusion and mistakes are getting cleared up in Lawrence. That just leaves Cas and the Bad Guys battling it out in San Diego to see who gets the ADA. Can Team Cas do it on their own?! (*gasps in anticipation*)
> 
> Geez, I hope you are all as excited as I am...
> 
> Just a few more chapters to go. : D


	36. Damsels In Distress

"You ready?" Ruby whispered to Charlie as she hung up the phone, drawing the other woman's attention.

"I sent Lillith on a wild goose chase, but she won't stay out for long. If we take the stairs down, we only have to get past one camera in the secretary's station. There aren't any facing Zachariah's office, or inside it. All the cubicles on that floor are further down the hall, so no one should see us while we're inside if we go in through the stairswell"

The two women carefully scanned the rest of the people in the office. No one appeared to be paying them any attention.

Except Alfie, of course.

The young man had been frowning in their direction all morning from his desk by Naomi's area. He perked up when he noticed their attention on him.

He gave one firm shake of his head, eyes locked on them in an attempt dissuade them from their risky plan.

As if his disapproval could sway the women from their mission to rescue Castiel.

They both ignored him.

It was now or never.

The redhead nodded. She began to stand just as her cell phone started ringing for what must have been the twentieth time in the last thirty minutes.

"For God's sake-" Ruby hissed, "Will you just answer that or put in on vibrate or something? We can't have your damn phone ringing the entire time we're doing this." They both stood and moved around their desks. Alfie also stood, clearly planning to intercept them and try to talk them out of their plan yet again. He had an almost comical look of determination on his face.

Charlie looked embarrassed as she set her phone to silent. "Sorry," she mumbled hurriedly.

"Who is that anyway? Why don't you just take it?"

The redhead looked guilty as she started walking quickly. "So! We're really going to do this, huh? No sense waiting around. It's like the crew of the Serenity, heading off into Reaver territory. Just gotta suck it up and take the risk, am I right. Haha…?"

Ruby wasn't fooled-confused, but definitely not fooled. "That's it. Spill it, Charlie. What aren't you telling me?" They made their way across the spacious office towards the stairs, trying to act casual and not draw anyone's attention. Most of the office was watching the TVs anyway, where the local stations were covering the highlights of the 10K through downtown San Diego. Naturally, the cameras spent more time locked onto Castiel (and Dick Roman following closely behind him) more than any other runners.

Ruby kept an eye on Alfie, who was closing in on them quickly, apparently attempting to divert attention from himself by using a strange looking zig zag route, rather than a direct approach.

Ruby kept up the conversation with the stammering Charlie. They needed to act casual. Alfie could ruin everything.

"Pshh! Friends don't keep secrets. That's totally unfriend-like behavior. Haha." Ruby cocked her head to the side, meeting Charlie's eye with a steely glare. "Ahh, but, now that you mention it, there may be a teeny-weeny little speedbump. So, definitely not a big deal or anything like that. But, I, uh," Charlie eyed Ruby carefully, "I may have told Gilda about the plan."

Ruby's head snapped to Charlie, eyes furious. "What!? Charlie, why the HELL-"

"I know, I know, I know! But, we just finally started talking on the phone, and, you know how it is. Paperwork is so lame! I wanted to tell her all the exciting stuff I've got going on-"

"Exciting stuff?!" Several pairs of eyes turned to stare at them. Ruby lowered her voice as they arrived at the stairwell. "Charlie, you haven't even met this woman! What if she calls the police? Or the FBI? Fuck- she might already have done it! The whole plan to rescue Castiel could be blown just because you wanted to get into some random chick's skirt!"

Charlie looks pained, but just shook her head. "Gilda is totally trustworthy. She's been very supportive about everything so far…ah. Whoops. I mean-"

Ruby had her by the arm, grip tight as she stared down the red head. "How much exactly have you told her?" The question came out like a growl.

And for once, Alfie's appearance was actually welcome. He was suddenly beside the two women, speaking lowly. "I am completely serious now. You CANNOT go through with this. Zachariah is dangerous. Listen, he-" Alfie lowered his voice even more, seeming unhappy to be sharing the information. He spared a glance around them, making sure they were out of earshot of everyone else. "He isn't just blackmailing the Novaks with photos. There's also… office closures. Including the Lawrence branch." Both Ruby and Charlie's eyes widened in surprise at the new information. "So, this isn't going to be as easy as finding his stash of manila envelopes and turning them over to the police. If Mr. Novak doesn't do what they are asking, the company could crumble, and everyone could lose their jobs."

"They-they're trying to close the Lawrence office?" Charlie gasped. Beside her, Ruby's face darkened.

Alfie nodded. "I saw the forms. Zachariah already bottom-lined them without Mr. Novak's consent. It's all part of the missing money plot. That's why you have to stop this- right now. There's too much at stake if you get caught."

"Hold it, twerp. Why are you just now telling us about all this? How long have you known? And why? How the hell does a glorified coffee-fetcher find out about plans to take down the company?" Ruby demanded.

Alfie grimaced at her sharp tone. "I hear a lot. Nobody notices me. I can move freely." It seemed almost as if he pleased at his anonymity.

"And how convenient that you are just now telling us, when we are ready to make a move against Zachariah. No. We're going in there. I don't care if the company takes a hit, that bastard is NOT getting everything handed to him on a silver platter."

Charlie gasped. "But, Ruby! Think of everyone in Lawrence. And the other offices. What about our friends!" Her voice was rising with worry, drawing the attention of several people nearby. Her phone hummed loudly from her pocket, indicating yet another call from Gilda.

Ruby turned to the red-head, hands clutching angrily at her sides. "Charlie, if we don't do anything the bad guys WIN. Listen to me- there are going to be casualties no matter how this plays out. The only difference is whether we can take Zachariah and his gang down in the process. We have to do this while we still have the chance. If we miss this opportunity, we may lose the only solid evidence we have against these guys. We've got to follow through with it. This was your idea in the first place, remember? Are you with me or not?"

Charlie frowned, eyes wide as she looked back and forth between Alfie and Ruby. She slowly nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Frodo only had the one chance to destroy the ring, and it took Sam's help and unyielding support to keep him on track. Ruby- you're my Sam. And Zachariah is totally Sauron. And that makes YOU Golem." She turned to glare at a gaping Alfie.

"First off, ma'am- Ouch. That is cold." He actually looked hurt. Beside them Ruby face-palmed. "Secondly, I have no intention of letting Zachariah- aka The Dark Lord- win. I am working on a plan, it's just not, er, ready yet. But, you could ruin everything if he realizes you know about his plans."

"Oh, yeah? What the hell could you possibly do to stop Zachariah?" Ruby asked incredulously, impatience growing. "Look, we only have the office empty for a little while, Charlie. We need to move now, before Lillith gets back."

Alfie moved quickly to try and block them from the staircase. "It's- it's not just me. I have, ah, help. Just- trust me. Don't do this!"

Ruby finally snapped, grabbing Alfie by his shirt collar while Charlie tried to block them from the view of the rest of the office. "Help? And who is that? Huh? Give it up! You're just trying to stall so we can't go through with it. Move- now, or so help me kid, I will knock you out and shove your body into the damn storage closet."

Alfie's normally pale face became several shades whiter at the threat. Ruby shoved him away and stomped through the door to the stairwell. Charlie followed more slowly, giving Alfie one final frown.

Alfie hurriedly pulled out his phone and sent a short text to Gabriel and Balthazar.

A: I failed. Cue the back up plan.

Loki: Rgr. Hit it B

Not five seconds later, the high pitched shrill of the fire alarm cut through the entire building. Alfie watched as the rest of the office clasped their hands over their ears and rushed toward him, heading for the stairwell.

…

"Fucking Alfie!" Ruby yelled angrily over the earsplitting siren. The stairs were filling quickly with panicking bodies rushing to clear the building.

"What do we do?" Charlie shouted over the noise.

"Stick to the plan. Come on!" She grabbed Charlie's sleeve and shoved through the push of bodies into the door to Zachariah's office level.

…-^o^-…

"Congratulations, baby!"

Castiel had no sooner crossed the finish line then he found Bela draping herself across him. He kept his features as cool and unaffected as possible while dozens of cameras snapped pictures around him.

He was hot, sweaty and tired. He had to fight the urge to shove the sweet-scented woman away from him so he could breathe fresh air.

He headed for the safety of the limo, practically dragging the woman with him. A glance to his left showed that, as usual, Tom was not far behind.

Up ahead, Uriel was waiting with his usual patience, a small grin on his face as he watched Bela posing for the reporters.

Azazel was close by, also smirking his little half-smile at the hectic scene.

"Where is Zachariah? And Naomi?" Castiel asked as he arrived by the car. Beside him, Bela gave an indignant squawk and he turned to see Dick forcibly unwrapping her from him. Castiel grabbed a water from the backseat mini-fridge, drinking it gratefully as Uriel answered steadily.

"They both left early to return to the ADA- around mile three I believe, Sir."

Castiel nodded. "What about Meg?" He glanced around, searching for the familiar scowl and tattooed arms.

Bela erupted into giggles beside him. "She's actually running it! Can you believe that? Or I should say 'walking it' at the pace she's going. The little toad's still out there on the course somewh-"

With a small grunt, Castiel broke away from the small group at a jog, heading back down the crowd-lined road of the course in the opposite direction, trailing eager reporters and cameramen behind him.

…

From one level above, Alfie watched the blonde and the redhead duck through the door to Zachariah's floor.

A sharp tug on his arm caught his attention. He turned to find a hideous woman with blonde curls, thick-framed glasses and a massive bosom scowling angrily at him. She held up her phone, and shouted over the shrill of the alarms "We got a problem, kid! Balthazar says Zachariah just arrived downstairs in the lobby. Security isn't allowing him to come up yet, because of the alarm. We only have until they cut the alarm off to get those two the hell out of there."

Alfie stared hard at the woman as people bumped and pushed around them. "I see…And how exactly do you know about that, ma'am? Are you a friend of Loki's?" He asked her, clearly suspicious.

The woman cuffed him across the ear. "I am Loki, you moron. Now get moving! We don't have much time."

Alfie looked back up at the woman, realization dawning. "Oh! Oh, no! Sir, you should NOT be here! If Zachariah catches you-!"

Gabriel scoffed disdainfully, tossing his ratty blond hair from his face. "As if I'm just gonna sit around while Ruby risks her neck trying to save my damn brother! I swear to God that crazy chick is gonna be the death of me one of these days!" Gabriel practically wailed as he dragged Alfie with him towards the door the women had slipped through.

…

"You-gasp-have got-gasp-to be-gasp-kidding me!"

"You're doing great. Keep it up."

Meg spared Castiel a heated glare. "Piss-gasp-off-gasp-nerd!" She was choking to get the words out as she continued dragging herself forward. "Don't need-gasp-your-gasp-help."

"Well, it's better than spending anymore time with your brother and sister." Castiel replied easily, falling into the slow pace set by the short woman.

Meg eyed him in annoyance. "You're-gasp-not leaving-gasp-are you?"

"Nope. I'm here to motivate you. Now- wave and say 'Hi' to Clarence." He pointed to several of the more 'fit' camera crews who had dashed after him when he returned to the course. Meg's eyes widened at the sight of the cameras, only just realizing that they were being filmed. She blinked up at Castiel, who grinned back at her and whispered. "Come on- say something. Clarence is watching, remember?"

Meg sucked in a deep breath, then beamed at the cameras. "Hey Clarence, Sweety! Mommy's almost finished! Keep cheering for me, okay?!" She gave an enthusiastic wave before straightening her back and speeding up. Under her breath she muttered a barely audible, "…thanks."

Twelve minutes later, they crossed the finish line together straight into the waiting hoard of excited reporters. In the distance by the parked limos, they could see Bela's pouting face glaring daggers. Meg tried to laugh at the sight, but only succeeded in almost choking herself as she fought to catch her breath. Instead, she just pointed so Castiel could see Bela's irate face, then muttered, "So-gasp-worth it!"

Castiel nodded, chuckling for what felt like the first time in ages.

…

"Okay. If I were an evil maniac bent on world destruction- where would I hide the evidence?" Charlie asked out loud. Her phone buzzed continuously in her pocket, filling the silence left behind after the alarms finally stopped just moments before.

They had been through every file cabinet and drawer in Zachariah's office, being especially careful not to disturb anything. So far, all they had been able to find was the paperwork about the office closures, which had been sitting in plain sight on top of a pile of other paperwork in a tray on his desk.

They were running out of ideas and time.

"We should have known it wouldn't be this easy," hissed Ruby. "Of course he wouldn't just leave it sitting out. He must have a hidden draw or secret safe around here somewhere. Someplace that not even the police wouldn't think to look." She huffed angrily, eyeing the dozens of obnoxious trophies and framed awards around the office.

"Maybe it's like in 'Angels and Demons'. A secret compartment built into the desk?" Charlie offered.

"This isn't a damn movie, Charlie." Snapped Ruby. "I mean, he works in a fucking glass office- what good would a secret compartment be when anyone can see you using it?" Charlie's shoulders slumped. Ruby ignored her, instead looking closer at the glass case of awards behind Zachariah's desk. "The files would have to be somewhere that wouldn't seem suspicious if he were seen by someone passing by outside. Some place or thing he touches often enough to seem natural. Maybe…?"

Ruby opened the ostentatious awards case. At first glance, it appeared to filled with framed Letters of Accommodation, all sitting upright neatly, undoubtedly to remind Zachariah of how fantastic he was, like everything else in the office. She picked up one of the thick frames, flipping it over. It was just the right size and shape…

She popped the back off of it to reveal a manila envelope tucked neatly behind the Letter. "Got it!" She exclaimed. "They're here- he hid the photos inside the award frames, Charlie!"

"Holy shit- he really is an evil genius! Not to mention conceited. Geez." She rushed over as Ruby pulled out the first envelope carefully. "Are you sure that's it? Whose is it?"

Ruby flipped the envelope over to reveal the name 'Gabriel Novak'. "It's Gabriel's…"

"So he WAS being blackmailed, too?!" Charlie exclaimed. "I knew it! I knew he wouldn't just ditch his brother and the company like that! I bet he-Oh, hey! You- you're not going to look are you?!" Charlie gasped, horrified as Ruby quickly opened up the envelope. "Ruby, that's so WRONG! It's his personal secrets in there! You can't just- OH. MY. GOD-!"

Charlie stared at the photos in Ruby's hands as the woman slowly flipped through them.

"OHMYGOD. OH-MY-GOD-RUBY! Are those-? Those are from INSIDE your house!" Charlie was shrieking now, hopping from foot to foot in a panic as Ruby's shaking hands finally stopped on the last of the photos.

It was a close up, taken from above and angled down at the sleeping figure of Ruby wearing her pajama tank top, with the covers kicked her body as she lay in her bed.

The office door suddenly burst open. Charlie screamed in terror and latched herself onto Ruby tightly.

"It's just me!" Alfie called out from where he stood wide-eyed at the door "You need to get out- now! Zachariah's here and he's on his way up!"

"Oh shit!" Charlie panicked, grabbing the photos from Ruby's stiff hands and shoving them back into the envelope. "That fucking psycho is coming! He's gonna have us killed by his fucking ninja assassins or something! Come on Ruby!" She shoved the envelope back into the frame and shut the case, running for the door. "Ruby? Hurry!"

Ruby stood frozen behind Zachariah's desk.

"Ruby!?" Charlie shouted again.

Finally, the woman moved, turning to look at Charlie and Alfie's terrified faces. "I'm. Gonna. Kill. Them. ALL OF THEM."

"NO-no-no-no! Not right now, Ruby! We have to go! He had some freakin' pervert IN YOUR HOUSE! He's seriously fucking crazy! If he catches us-" Charlie was in full panic-attack mode at this point. She rushed over to grab the other woman's arm and pull on it.

"No." Ruby jerked her arm out of Charlie's grip. "You two leave. I'm staying." And without another word, she picked up a heavy trophy from the desk, and slammed it into the glass window of the case.

Charlie jumped back as the shattering glass exploded everywhere. From the door, Alfie called out, "He's coming! Charlie, it's too late! Leave her!"

"But-!" Charlie turned to Ruby, who was swinging the trophy at several glass plaques sitting on a nearby table. They went flying across the office in a burst of glass shards and shrapnel. "Oh fuck-!" Charlie finally bolted for the door, leaving Ruby to her destruction.

The sound of the stairwell door opening and Balthazar's unusually loud voice announced Zachariah's arrival.

Charlie and Alfie froze as the two executives turned the corner.

Zachariah's eyes fell on them first, then widened in horror as they landed on Ruby in his office. At that exact moment, something heavy slammed into the glass wall of the office, causing a spiderweb of tiny fractures along the glass.

Behind Zachariah, Balthazar's jaw was hanging open. "Oh. My. Bloody. Hell." He muttered, sounding torn between horror and admiration.

A heavy rolling desk chair from the conference table was flung across the room, landing with a bone-shaking 'THUD!' against the huge wall of framed certificates, sending almost all of them shattering to the floor.

"WHAT-THE-HELL-IS-THIS!? SECURITY! SECURITY GET UP HERE NOW!" Zachariah bellowed. He slammed his hand repeatedly into the red FIRE/MEDICAL/SECURITY button on the phone sitting on his secretary's desk. The muffled sound of a voice answering him came from the speakers. Zachariah turned a furious, wild-eyed glare at Charlie and Alfie. "YOU ARE ALL IN DEEP SHIT NOW! WHAT IS THAT WOMAN DOING IN MY OFFICE!?"

Charlie was paralyzed with fear as Zachariah turned on them.

Thankfully, Alfie answered quickly from beside her, "I'm so sorry, sir!" He spoke carefully, trying to calm Zachariah's towering form. Balthazar stared from behind the older man with wide-eyes and flailing hands, clearly trying to silence Alfie before he exposed them all. "You-you see, sir- I thought she knew about the plan to close the Lawrence office. But then she freaked out when I mentioned it. Charlie and I ran up here to try and calm her down, but she just wouldn't listen!"

Zachariah seemed taken aback for a moment, his angry eyes darting to see into the office, in the direction of the glass case that Charlie now knew hid his stash of blackmail photos. He spun back to Alfie, "This -this insanity," He shook an angry finger in Ruby's direction, "is about the damn closures?!" He watched Alfie with sharp, assessing eyes as the younger man nodded hurriedly.

"I-I swear, I thought she knew., sir I didn't know it was a secret!" Alfie looked contrite and apologetic as Zachariah, shot daggers at him. Ruby upended the huge conference table, shaking the floor beneath them.

After a tense silence, Zachariah finally collected himself and shouted, "You IDIOT! This is all your fault then!"

Both Balthazar and Charlie sagged with relief. The lie worked.

Or at least, they weren't busted for what they were actually there to do.

The elevator dinged and a half-dozen security personnel poured out and ran down the hall towards the group.

"It's about damn TIME! Get that crazy bitch out of my OFFICE! NOW!" The guards nodded racing for the office door.

Which slammed shut with a click and the sound of a lock being thrown.

All eyes turned to stare through the glass at a stone-faced Ruby. Her hair was a mess, eyes practically slits of fury.

She moved along the glass wall to stand directly in front of Zachariah. Their faces were separated by only an inch of thick glass.

"OH, HO! You've really done it NOW little lady!" Zachariah shouted through the cracked glass. "When I'm done with you- you won't be able to find a job in this COUNTRY! They won't even hire you at a damn Big Gerson's! YOU ARE DONE! YOU HEAR ME!?"

Ruby's face cracked into an almost manic grin.

She turned smoothly away from his fish-eyed glare, walking to the large trophy display against the back wall and picked up the center piece. It was a huge trophy, the crown jewel of his entire collection. It stood almost two feet tall, and was topped by a victorious figurine with upraised hands.

"Wha-? What is she doing? WHAT IS SHE-! NO! YOU PUT THAT DOWN RIGHT NOW! THAT IS FROM A GOLF TOURNAMENT WITH THE DUKE OF ALBANIA!" Zachariah almost screamed the words, his hands banging and sliding futilely against the thick glass barrier. "Damn it! Get in there and STOP her you IDIOTS!" He yelled at the helpless guards as they took turns trying to kick in the door.

"Holy shit…" Charlie gasped from where she stood by Balthazar and Alfie.

Ruby had returned to stand in front Zachariah, still grinning insanely as she held up the trophy.

"PUT. IT. DOWN." Zachariah ordered through the glass, his spittle spraying the surface. The hard thump of the guards bodies slamming against the office door rattled all the glass.

Ruby frowned, brows knitting in confusion. She pointed at the trophy and tilted her head in question.

"YES, THAT! PUT IT DOWN RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME-"

Ruby grabbed the figure at the top of the trophy-

-and snapped its head off.

Zachariah's horrified scream echoed down the office halls.

"YOU ARE DONE! DONE! I AM GOING TO DESTROY YOU!"

But Ruby was already snapping off each individual limb of the figure before lifting the entire bulky trophy and swinging it as hard as she could into the glass wall exactly where Zachariah's head was. He jumped back, throwing his arms up to cover his face as the glass began to shatter in front of him.

At that same moment, the guards finally broke through the office door. Everyone watched in mute shock and horror as the guards cautiously surrounded the enraged woman like she was an unpredictable wild animal.

She didn't disappoint.

It took all six guards to successfully subdue the woman.

At one point they thought they had her, but she managed to wiggle free from their pile on top of her and made a run at the Trophy shelf again.

She decapitated three more figurines before they were able to drag her away.

They carried her cursing body out of the office, writhing and kicking with a separate guard trying to hold one limb each.

"Uh, what do you want us to do with her, sir? Call the police? Or animal control?" Asked the lead security guard (who was bleeding from an almost definitely broken nose).

Zachariah's face was nearly purple with rage. He was about to shout an answer, but seemed to catch himself, taking in the many witnesses.

"I want her OUT of this building RIGHT NOW!" Zachariah shouted. The guards nodded as they made their way to the elevator. "ALL of this damage is coming out of your last paycheck- YOU HEAR ME!? You are FIRED! AND YOU BETTER EXPECT TO HEAR FROM MY LAWYERS MISSY-! Those awards were priceless!" He continued shouting even after the elevator doors closed on the departing group.

Zachariah stood there for several moments, heaving angry breaths in front of the elevator. When he finally spun around, it was to shift his rage on to the rest of the group. "Well!? Are you all just going to stand there and stare!? Get the hell out of here!" He turned and caught sight of a ample-bosomed blonde woman staring from near the stairwell. "You, too, damn it! This isn't a fucking spectator sport! GET BACK TO WORK!"

The woman by the stairs turned without a word and hurried into the stairwell, her breasts flopping comically as she disappeared from sight.

…

"Fuck YOU! FUCK ALL OF YOU!" Ruby shouted angrily as she was thrown unceremoniously out, into the empty parking garage. "BURN IN HELL MOTHERFUCKERS-!" The door slammed in her face.

She spun on her heel, stomping towards her rental car.

"Fired? FIRED? Don't do me any fucking favors you JACKASS!" She yelled angrily into the silence of the garage. "I don't fucking care! Why should I fucking care about this stupid job!?" She reached her car, yanking on the handle and slamming the door behind her after she jumped in. "I can do better! Fuck- I've been to war you bastards! You don't scare me!"

She slammed her hands into the steering wheel.

Then did again. And again.

Because she could. Because there was nothing else she could hit. Or no one.

The sounds of furious honking and thuds echoed in the spacious garage as she thrashed violently in the front seat of her car for almost a full minute.

"I can do better." She kept repeating to herself bitterly. "I deserve-"

Her words were cut off by a sudden, unexpected sob. She sucked in a deep breath only to choke on another sob.

She let her head drop hard onto the steering wheel as the first sting of hot tears burned her eyes. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck-"

The car door was suddenly thrown open beside her. She snapped her head up just in time to have a pair of arms thrown around her and a hideous woman's puckering mouth leaning toward her for a kiss.

Ruby threw her leg out in a panic, effectively Sparta-kicking the stranger out of the car and onto her back on the cement floor of the garage. The ugly denim short-skirt rode dangerously high up pink-tight clad legs.

"OwowOW-! I'm okay! Doesn't hurt! No- tell a lie. It hurts like a bitch. Ouch!" A familiar voice whined loudly. "Ugh, I missed you too, you crazy, beautiful she-demon!" The woman called out from her position spread-eagle on the ground.

Ruby blinked down at the woman. "…Gabriel?" She whispered incredulously.

"None other, babe! Oh, shit, have I missed having you kick my- UGMPH-ahhh! Rube, stop-!"

Ruby drew her leg back to land another kick on him, but he rolled fast, jumping up quickly and wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Get the- sob- fuck off me- sniff- you sonafabitch!" Ruby struggled to disentangle the man from her body but couldn't manage. "Damn it, Gabriel! Just let me beat the shit out of you!"

And with that, she finally collapsed onto the cold cement floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gabriel's grip relaxed as he pulled her into his arms for several light kisses across her forehead. "I know. I missed you, too. It's okay." He pulled her closer, wrapping her up tightly.

Ruby threw her hands around him and buried her head in his neck, sniffling. "You fucking left me, you bastard! W-why did you leave me…?" She broke into another set of sobs.

Gabriel patted her back as they sat together on the cold floor. "I'm so sorry, Rube." He spoke the words quietly into her wild blonde hair.

Ruby gave him an angry, half-hearted smack. "Fucking jerk. I saw the photos. I can- sniff- take care of myself. I don't need- hiccup- you to protect me."

Gabriel laughed. "Don't I know it!" His voice became more serious. "I'm sorry, Rube. About everything. This is all… out of control."

"Don't you ever leave me again- you got that? EVER."

"Okay. Never again, gorgeous." He murmured, pulling her wet face up into a deep kiss. When they finally pulled away, they were both breathing deeply, eyes meeting.

"Gabe..?"

"Yeah, Rube?"

"Why are you dressed like an ugly woman?"

"…ah. Yeah. Forgot about that. It's a disguise., you know? I was here to try to rescue you and Red from Zachariah." He grinned and ducked back in for another kiss.

Ruby leaned away. "…it's putting me off."

"Well then, I'll burn the whole outfit this evening, just for you," he chuckled soothingly, leaning toward her again.

His lips met a firm hand.

"Negative. Burn it now, babe."

"OHMYGOD-!" Gabriel moaned like he was in pain. "Call me 'babe' again and I SWEAR I'll burn my entire crappy costume collection!" He smacked his lips at her, desperately trying to pull her closer.

She shoved his face away with a scowl that was just a touch too contrived.

…

"Yes, sir…. That's what I tried to tell her, sir, but I couldn't talk either of them out of it… No, sir. …No. I believe Gabriel went to meet her afterwards…. They might, so I think we should keep her safe with us…. Yes, sir…. No, I lied to him… No, I think it worked…. I haven't heard anything, but you saw the news?... Yes, sir…. I know, but I'm worried-"

"Alfie."

The young man froze, phone poised at his ear.

"Who are you talking to, Alfie?"

He slowly turned wide-eyes to face Naomi's knowing glare. "N-no one, ma'am…?"

She plucked the phone from his hand. "Hello, Teddy." There was a brief pause as she frowned into the phone. "No, I do not believe this is Chinese Take-Out. I am VERY disappointed in you. You are supposed to be relaxing. That is what we agreed on." Another short pause before Naomi's voice suddenly cracked like a whip. "The doctor said vacation- he very specifically said to avoid all stress. Having Alfie reporting to you is NOT acceptable…. Then don't watch the TV! I am NOT going to tell you again- relax or I swear I will be on the next plane to Sioux Falls! Is that what you want? Me babysitting you instead of trying to handle the situation here?… DON'T YOU GET CUTE WITH ME!…Do not call Alfie again, is that clear? …We are handling it, Teddy. Just relax and let us take care of it like we planned. …I'm not going to say anything else. Good bye."

She hung up the phone, furious eyes falling on Alfie. "You know what the doctor said, Alfie. NO STRESS." Alfie flinched at her sharp tone. "Do you want him to have another stroke? While he's stuck in the middle of nowhere, without us there to help him? Answer me!"

"…n-no ma'am…."

"Then you WILL stop communicating with him immediately. This is all too much for him. Leave it to Gabriel and Castiel like we all agreed in the first place. Do you understand, Alfie?"

He nodded slowly.

"Good." She snapped, skewering him one more time with her librarian-like glare. "Now, tell me what has happened with Ruby."

…-^o^-…

He was cutting it close, he knew.

Castiel barely had time to jump in the shower and don his suit before Uriel was knocking at his room door and telling him they had to leave ASAP.

It was a bad idea to cram so many events into his schedule, but there wasn't much he could do. If Zachariah and Azazel wanted to see Castiel jump through hoops, then damn it, they could jump, too.

Now, as he and Dick half-dashed through the lobby of the enormous hotel on sore legs towards this evenings event, he had second thoughts.

This was too hectic.

He arrived just at the start of the first guest speaker. Ducking low in the dimly lit dining hall, the two men hurried over to the table shared between the ADA and CPOA parties.

Finally able to relax, he glanced at his team, sending them a quick nod as a greeting.

No one returned it. Not even Charlie, who looked more pale than usual.

Instead he was met with worried faces.

He turned to Dick, who briefly shrugged and turned a concerned look at the unusually reticent Balthazar sitting beside him.

At least the CPOA side of the table was apparently in high spirits. Bela was decked out in her most alarmingly vibrant outfit yet. Was blood-red in vogue right now? As he watched, she smeared another layer of thick lipstick over her mouth while puckering her lips into the mirror of a compact.

Azazel, beside her was practically humming with a discomforting cheerfulness.

Tom was being…well, Tom. He seemed to be captivated by one of the spoons in front of him. Or he was pondering the physics of inter-stellar travel. There was really no telling with him.

And, of course, Meg was lounging unhappily with her head thrown back in her chair. Her outfit for the night appeared to have been selected with the aim of concealing as much tattooed flesh as possible, resulting in an alarmingly Puritanical gray look. She noticed Castiel's stare and rolled her eyes with a sigh.

Castiel tried to get comfortable as the speaker droned on, but a sense of uneasiness was growing.

Something was very wrong.

And, it was during a break in the speakers, halfway through the dinner, that he found out what.

Zachariah, who had been tight-lipped as the meal progressed, suddenly spoke to him. Castiel didn't miss the sharp looks that the ADA group sent the man- even Naomi and Alfie, which had Castiel doing a double-take. The older executive didn't seem to notice or care that the group was trying to cause him to combust into flames with their eyes. "Castiel, a word." The man stood and began walking stiffly away, clearly expecting Castiel to follow like an obedient dog.

Which he did, grudgingly.

Zachariah led him over to a private spot by the side of the stage. Castiel frowned, watching the man closely and waiting.

Zachariah finally turned to him and plastered on a tight smile. "So, me, Azazel and our, ahem, associates have talked it out, and we feel that the sooner we get this show on the road- the better."

Castiel stared at him, confused. "What?"

Zachariah's smile slowly faded into a scowl. "Your time is up. Make the announcement now. I want that marriage contract signed by this Saturday, or else."

Castiel felt a shudder rip through him. His stomach felt like it had dropped to the floor. "Wh-what? But you said-"

"And now I'm saying this. Make. The. Announcement. NOW." He pointed up at the stage where a lone microphone was standing by a podium.

Castiel's mouth went dry at the sight. "I-I can't- it's too soon for-"

Zachariah was suddenly inches away from Castiel, hot breath ghosting across his face. "I have just about had it with you and your damn team today. Get the hell up there and act like a smitten imbecile or I swear to God I will have my man in Lawrence burn your filthy fucking mechanic's house to the ground around him- you got that?!"

The gleam in Zachariah's eye warned Castiel that the threat was very real.

He wasn't playing around with with blackmail anymore.

He was willing to kill for this.

To kill DEAN for this.

And Castiel could believe it, staring at the man in front of him in this exact moment. Something had set him off. He was completely serious.

With a nod, Castiel turned his numb body to the stage, climbing the stairs as if he was walking towards the hangman's noose. He could feel the hush across the large room as the assembled noticed him moving towards the podium. The bright overhead lights were almost blinding.

This was it.

Once he said it out loud, it would take a miracle to undo.

He was going to lie to the entire world.

He searched for his voice and prayed it would come out loud and convincing.

"Good evening. I wanted to thank the organization for having me and my group here tonight, especially on such- such short notice." He managed. Across the room, he found his table, their eyes all watching him. He caught sight of movement, and realized that Bela was hurriedly fixing her hair and make-up in her damn compact again. Azazel was grinning at Castiel smugly. "I-I really appreciate being here in front of you all, because it gives me a perfect, uh, opportunity to make a big announcement." Castiel stuttered, the glare of the lights and the pressure of nearly a hundred eyes on him suddenly making him lightheaded.

He had to pull it together. Zachariah probably had his damn hit-man on speed dial. He couldn't afford to mess this up. Dean's life was on the line. Just like a Think Tank, he told himself.

He swallowed thickly. "I wanted to officially announce my engagement to the love of my life-," Bela stood, face splitting into a perfect toothy smile, that suddenly infuriated Castiel just enough to make up his mind, "-Meg."

There was a sudden whoosh of air from the audience as every head in the room jerked to stare at the woman. Bela's eyes bugged out where she stood, turning to look at her younger sister in pure shock.

"G-go ahead and smile for everyone, uh, Honey." Castiel stammered into the microphone.

Meg's huge eyes locked onto Castiel's. He returned her stare, praying she would play along.

Castiel tried to make himself laugh, but it came out as weak exhales. "She's, uh, she's just a little shy folks."

It was all up to her now. If she called him on his lie, then everything could fall apart.

The entire company, the employees, and Dean's very life rested in her hands.

She held his gaze from across the silent room for several moments that seemed to last an eternity.

Then, almost like a marionette being pulled by a string, her hand rose to wave at him, followed by her face stretching into an unnatural smile.

Taking the small gesture as acknowledgement, the room suddenly burst into applause and shouts. Castiel sucked in a breath, the tension draining from his body.

Zachariah suddenly stepped up beside him, taking control of the microphone. "Let's give the love-birds a hand, what do you say, ladies and gentlemen?" His cheerful voice boomed throughout the room. People were rising to their feet, clapping loudly. Several moved to congratulate Meg, who eyed them like they were closing in on her for the kill.

Castiel reached out and grabbed the edge of the podium, the weight of his lie- of his new reality- abruptly hitting him. His tired legs felt like they were ready to give out.

He was engaged.

By Saturday, he was going to be expected to give up half of the ADA to this woman he had only actually spoken to for the first time four days ago.

An admitted ex-druggie with an illegitimate child and daddy-issues.

He prayed that he was making the right decision.

…-^o^-…

"Alright- glasses up!" The large crowd filling the Road House raise their mugs and glasses into the air as Sam continued, "Here's to my brother, Dean. Drive safe, and good luck winning Castiel back!"

"Here, here!" The crowd yelled, voices temporarily muffled as they drank deeply.

Sam joined the rest of the group as they converged on Dean, slapping him on the back and wishing him good luck. It was a warm Tuesday night and the party was already two hours in, and the crowd was becoming pleasantly buzzed.

As each new face appeared in front of him, Dean had to remind his sluggish brain to stick his hand out to shake theirs. It was all becoming a blur.

He was due to leave tomorrow, around noon to make the long drive to the West coast. His bags were packed. Everything was ready to go. Hell, even Lucifer had a carrier ready and a duffel full of food and toys. Bringing the small cat with him was a little treat for Cas (suggested by an entirely too enthusiastic Sam). It was all set. Dean would show up (with a wide-eyed Lucifer in hand) and surprise Cas. He'd say they needed to talk and invite the blue-eyed man to join him for burgers. Wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. They'd eat and chat, their natural chemistry would take over, then wrap up the meal with some pie and a heartfelt reading of his Love Letter and-BOOM: Together again!

At least, that's how Dean was really hoping it would play out. He had already walked through dozens of possible scenarios with Ash to plan for every possible situation.

Including the worst one, which involved Cas refusing to speak with him at all.

In that case, Ash had suggested Dean strip.

Right there, wherever the hell they were. Just start shedding his clothes on the spot.

Apparently (according to Ash) people became exponentially more receptive of what you have to say when the threat of nudity is introduced. Especially if they found the 'parts' involved attractive. It was like a hostage situation, where your body was the knife to their throat… or something. You suddenly had their undivided attention.

Ash claimed proudly that it had got him everything from a date to prom to his college degree from MIT- and Dean did NOT ask him to elaborate.

Dean was willing to try anything. Though, he was hoping that his nudity would be more of the… private type. He couldn't help his mind flashing to their date, when he had pulled off his shirt and Cas had… stared. Hard. Not to mention their last little Sunday-Funday, when Cas had practically banned Dean from wearing any clothes at all for the entire day. Then proceeded to eat him up with his intense blue eyes….

Yeah, threatening to strip actually might work- as a worst case scenario, of course.

Speaking of their first date-

A familiar pair of faces stepped forward, beaming at him and reaching for his hand. "Hey there, Dean!"

"Mark. Julia. It's been a while." Dean grinned and reached out to shake their hands.

"You know, I wasn't too sure, but Julia here," he hugged his wife, grinning, "She swore up and down for the last two weeks that there was something between you and your friend. Said we interrupted your date. But, I said 'No way. Impossible!' But, sure enough, here we are, finding out that you're heading across country in the name of love!" Mark reached forward and thumped Dean's shoulder. "Good luck, buddy! You two are gonna make one hell of a couple. I look forward to playing some more ultimate frisbee once all this gets settled."

Dean laughed and nodded, waving to them as they left to cross back to their seats.

Geez, had it really only been a few weeks?

Dean turned back to his table, watching as his mother and father argued about their latest TV season filming schedule with Bobby and Rufus. Sam had his arms around Jess, hugging her tight as they watched Benny and Ash trying to teach Anna to play darts. Adam was sitting a few tables away talking to- Pamela? Oh, Christ…. What was the age difference there- eleven years? Hell, no….

Dean rose, intending to intercept whatever romantic plans were being made.

The sound of voices suddenly dying-out caught his attention. He glanced around to see everyone turning and moving towards the TVs mounted on the bar walls. Several faces turned from the TV to him, eyes wide and worried, but he couldn't stop himself.

He looked up. He couldn't hear the reporters, but he had no difficulty reading the text flashing on the screen.

'ADA Head Engaged To CPOA Daughter.'

…O_O…

"Gabriel- what the hell!?"

On the other end of the phone, Gabriel's voice was low and pained. 'I know- I KNOW. Listen, Gigantor, it's been a rough day-'

"Your day's been 'rough'? My brother is losing his shit! He was planning on driving to San Diego to talk to Castiel. What the fuck is he going to do now?!"

'Wait-what?' Gabriel asked, clearly nonplussed. 'What do you mean Dean was coming to San Diego? That's possibly the worst idea EVER! We talked about this! Crazy-ass bad guys, remember?'

Sam tried to calm down. "Listen. I know what's at stake, but Dean… he's really serious about your brother. He decided to try and get back together today, but Castiel shot him down pretty hard. So he wanted to talk to him in person and try and make it work."

There was a few moments of silence on the line before Gabriel finally responded. 'He already talked to Cassie? When the hell was this?'

"Earlier today, during his lunch break. Dean tried to call him, but Castiel didn't take the call. Just sent him a text saying they were through and there was already someone else. Of course, none of us thought your brother was going to be marrying someone less than two weeks after ditching my brother." Sam hissed the last words, his anger finally getting the better of him.

Across the bar, Mary was leaned over trying to console Dean, who was hunched in his seat.

'Hey- ease the hell up on my baby bro.' Gabriel gritted out. 'None of this is his idea. The fucking ass-hats stealing the ADA money forced him into it. And I'd like to remind you that my brother is doing all this shit partly to try and protect YOUR brother.'

"Well, fucking great job there." Sam snapped. "How the hell is crushing my brother's dreams 'protecting' him?!" Sam took a deep breath before saying quietly, "Gabe, we have to fix this mess. I don't know if Dean can handle losing Castiel like this."

Sam let his eyes drift from Dean, to all the worried faces in the bar. The celebration had come to an abrupt halt after the news break. It had an almost funeral-like air to it now. Everyone looked gloomy, their eyes moving to Dean and the small group surrounding him.

Scratch that- ALMOST everyone looked gloomy.

"Son of a bitch!" Sam growled into his cell phone. "He's here, Gabe! That fucking photographer is here at the Road House!"

From the other end of the line, Gabriel cursed. 'Shit! Sam, listen- don't do anything-!'

"NO! This fucker has done enough damage. I'm going to get this bullshit straightened out. Dean deserves the truth." Sam hung up before Gabriel could say anything else. He tucked his cell into his pocket and stalked his way towards the gloating face of the taxi driver/photographer.

…

"For the last time, I'm fine Mom. Just-just let me go home, alright?"

"You're too drunk to drive, honey. Just hang on until we figure out where your brother and father have got off to and we'll head home then, okay?" Mary patted her oldest son's back soothingly as she scanned the crowd.

Where were John and Sam? And everyone else for that matter? Even Ellen had disappeared over the last twenty minutes. The Road House had begun to clear out after the news about Castiel Novak's impending marriage.

It was almost unfathomable to Mary. How had it all gone so sour, so quickly. Was everyone THAT wrong about this Castiel-fellow? Why was he suddenly announcing his engagement- not to mention immediate marriage- just weeks after leaving a supposedly-happy relationship with Dean?

Mary frowned. According to a happy balding man that the news had labeled as an ADA executive and who was answering reporters, the actual marriage ceremony was scheduled for Saturday.

This Saturday.

It was unrealistic. And definitely suspicious. Mary was convinced that there was more to the story.

"Dean." Mary and Dean both looked up to find Sam standing behind them. "You need to come out back. It's important." His face was set in a grim mask.

"Not right now, Sammy. I need… sleep." Dean rubbed his hands over his tired eyes as he slid unsteadily from the barstool. Mary reached out to help him. Jess and Lisa stepped over to join them, concern etched across their faces.

"No, Dean. Now. It's about Castiel." Sam insisted, reaching out and taking a firm hold on Dean's arm.

Dean tried to shrug him off uselessly. "Lemme go, Sammy. I don't wanna talk about Cas-" His face tightened at the mention of Castiel's name.

But Sam ignored him, half-dragging his brother towards the back doors of the Road House, leading into the large concert area and outdoor stage.

"Sam, he's had a long day…" Mary tried to protest, confused at her younger son's serious demeanor.

"Trust me, Mom. This can't wait." Sam answered smoothly, not slowing as he pulled Dean along, the others following.

It was dark and slightly chilly outside. It took several moments for the small group's eyes to adjust. Across the large expanse of ground, they could see another group of figures standing under the dim street lamps by the stage. They walked towards them slowly.

As they got closer, Mary recognized the figures. It was John, Bobby, Benny, Ash and Ellen. They were standing over a final figure- a man- who was crouched low on the ground.

"Rufus and Garth aren't with you, are they?" John's deep voice asked as they neared.

"No. Looks like they went back to the station already." Sam answered.

"Alright, I'm here. What the hell is going on?" Dean's weary voice asked. He eyed the figure on the ground, confused. "Who is this?" He stepped a little closer before drawing back in surprise. The man was dripping blood from a busted…everything. "Wh-? Isn't that dude a cabbie? Did you guys beat him up? What the hell is this?" Dean demanded.

It was Ash who stepped forward, handing Dean a expensive looking digital camera. Dean took it, unsure what to do with it. The screen was bright, with a small image displayed. Dean squinted, trying to focus on the picture. It took him a few seconds, but his body abruptly stiffened with recognition.

"What is it?" Jess asked quietly. She, Lisa and Mary all shifted carefully around Dean to look.

It was a picture, taken from a distance and zoomed in. In it, Dean was leaning over the inside of the Impala kissing someone. The face was blocked, but the wild hair suggested that it was Castiel.

Dean pressed a button for the next image. This, too, was an intimate picture of Dean and Castiel, smiling brightly at each other from their seats across the booth of a diner. It appeared to have been taken from outside, and across the street.

The next was a very long-distance shot, blurry but still clear enough to see. Dean and Castiel were in the cart of a Ferris wheel, Dean scrunched up against one side, head turned as Castiel leaned in, kissing him.

"Oh my God. What is this?" Mary finally asked, looking over to her husband, whose face was covered in shadow. He didn't answer. She looked around the other faces, each remaining stiff and silent. "Someone had better answer me! Why does this man have private pictures of my son on his damn camera?!"

"Dean," Sam spoke, drawing his brother and everyone else's attention. "Castiel is being blackmailed. This guy works for people who are embezzling money from the ADA."

There was a stunned silence.

"Blackmail…?" Dean blinked at his brother, then at the image on the camera screen, then finally down to the figure on the ground.

Before anyone could react, Dean dropped the camera and was on the man, fist pounding, pulling back, and pounding again. "You-fucking-piece-of-shit-!" The sickening thud of pummeled flesh filled the air.

Benny, Sam and John all jumped forward, reaching to pull Dean away.

He tried to shake them off, landing kicks on the man as he was dragged backward, spitting and cursing wildly. "No! Get off me! I'm gonna kill 'em! Lemme go-!"

They held him down until he began to calm, his breaths coming in harsh rasps and growled threats.

The rest of the group waited anxiously, watching until Dean was finally under control, or at least close to it.

A small chuckling sound came from the previously silent man lying in a bloody heap on the ground. All eyes shifted over to him, including Dean's.

John's dangerously calm voice asked in the darkness, "You find something funny, mister?"

The man burst into even louder chuckles, body shuddering as he tried to contain the laughs. His voice had a light, almost song-like rhythm to it. "Wh-who? Little ole me? Oh, well, yes- as a matter of fact. I think this is all just… adorable, really. Cute as a button."

Sam moved fast, grabbing the man by his shirt and pulling him up so that his feet nearly left the ground. "You sick fuck-"

"Easy- EASY now! Ahah-ha.We wouldn't want to do anything rash, would we?" The man's voice sang lowly, barely loud enough to hear. "After all, my- ahah- employers won't be very happy if I tell them I was roughed up by a group of country bumpkins, would they?"

"You son of a-" Benny started to warn, but the man cut him off.

"Oh, no no no. Language- please." He chuckled again, blood from his crushed nose bubbling briefly. "I think you're all in quite a- hah- pickle as it is, hmm? Gone and done it now. Yes, what will my employers do once they find out their plan has been compromised?" He tsked, shaking his head as he pulled away from Sam's grip. "Poor Castiel. Trying so hard to keep his little mechanic safe-" The man erupted into another bout of shuddering chuckles.

Dean lunged at him again, but was caught by his father and Benny before he could land a blow. The man didn't even flinch- just laughed harder. "No-let me go! He's threatening Cas! We hafta stop him!"

"Dean-Dean, stop! STOP!" Benny hissed as he struggled with his friend.

"Knock it off, ya Idjit!" Bobby snapped angrily, speaking at last. "Beatin' the shit out of him isn't going to change anything now!" The sharp tone seemed to work, at least for the moment. Dean stopped trying to charge the man and stood sucking in angry breaths, glaring at the bleeding figure. "We can't do this here. We need to find a place to shove this worm until we come up with a plan. Now, I vote we stash him in my cellar's panic room. He wont be gettin' outta there any time soon. It'll give us time to think up something to fix this mess."

There were a few nods and murmurs of agreement.

"I- I'm sorry Bobby- your what?" Mary asked, eyes wide. John stared at his friend, impressed.

Bobby shrugged. "Panic Room. I'll explain later. Let's get Chuckles tucked in for the night, then meet up at your place to come up with a plan."

…-^o^-...

"What. The. Fuck?!" Meg demanded, cornering Castiel in an empty conference room where he had escaped to panic in private.

"I am SO sorry, Meg. It had to be you." He answered morosely.

"Oh, did it?! Did it REALLY?" She growled, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

"Think about it, Meg! You said you wanted to shove your dad off a cliff, right?" Meg's grip loosened minutely as she listened, "Well, now's your chance. Help me! Your father thinks he's about to be handed the ADA on a silver platter. You finally have your chance to screw him over- in a big way!"

Meg released him and took a few steps back. She eyed Castiel carefully, seeming to size him up. "How do you know you can trust me? Maybe I'll just hand it all over to my Pops. Or cash it in to the highest bidder."

"You won't." Castiel stated confidently, sharp eyes holding hers.

"And what the hell makes you so sure of that, angel? You think everyone is good person? Is that it?"

"You'll do the right thing- for Clarence. Don't you see, Meg? This is our only shot. If you get half of the ADA, then we can play along and get them to return the missing money. Once we have it all back, you can defect. Join up on the ADA side. Then, we can finally expose Zachariah and Azazel and all the rest of them safely. This is the only possible way we can win against them. Please, Meg- I need you to help me. I trust you."

Castiel's blue eyes were locked onto hers, filled with so much trust and hope that she almost gagged.

"Damn it, you really are some sort of fucking fairy tale hero, aren't you?" She huffed in annoyance. "Why should I have to fucking marry you to get my dad busted? Why don't you just take the easy way out? We could bail, you know." Her voice became a bit quieter, her eyes shifting nervously, like she was too embarrassed to look at him. "We could pick up Clarence and be halfway to Australia before they even know we left. Leave all these fuckers behind and just-" She threw her arms up, "-leave. Live. Be happy somewhere far away from this craziness."

Castiel blinked in surprise. "Meg… are you asking me to run away with you?" He almost couldn't even believe he was asking.

"Clarence won't shut up about you." She muttered, cheeks becoming pink. "He keeps asking who was the cool 'grumpy dude' that was running with me today."

Castiel didn't know what to say. He stood silently, stunned.

"How am I supposed to explain this, now, huh?" She demanded. "Sorry, Sweety, but I guess I can't cheer for you at your soccer game this weekend. Mommy's getting married Saturday." She looked up at him, frowning. "Let's just go. This can all be sorted out by everyone else. Hell, maybe your dad or brother will show back up and deal with it. Whatever. It's not your job to save the world…"

For a moment, Castiel could see it. A way out. A chance to escape- maybe even be happy somewhere far from here.

A place where Zachariah and the CPOA couldn't reach them.

And they could be a family.

A family…

The image of Dean running and laughing as tiny little bodies raced after him on a soccer field suddenly appeared in Castiel's mind.

Dean passing off a huge stack of tickets to a crowd of beaming kids in the arcade. Their awed faces staring up a him in amazement.

Dean standing in front of the windows his apartment, rocking Lucifer as if it all came naturally to him, while thunder rolled outside.

Castiel knew, at that moment, that he was never going to be able to have a family.

Not if Dean wasn't a part of it.

It would never feel right. Like something was missing. A pivotal piece of the family.

Dean.

Dean, who was going to be a proud dad of his own child.

Dean, who was finally going to fulfill the role that seemed to come so naturally to him.

And it was Dean who would be left to suffer if Castiel chose to run now. Him that the furious Zachariah would lash out at if Castiel disappeared with Meg and Clarence.

"I- I'm sorry, Meg. I can't." He finally answered, shoulders dropping. "I really wish I could, but- no. Thank you, though, for offering. It means a lot."

Meg scowled, looking away from him. "Fine. I get it. You're still hung up over your lame-ass straight mechanic."

"Meg…"

"Oh, shut up. Forget I even mentioned it. It was a stupid idea anyway." She crossed her arms, annoyed and maybe a little embarrassed for putting herself out there to be rejected. Castiel wanted to say something, or do something, anything to show her how much he appreciated her willingness to help him. But, he had a feeling she would just scoff and push him away.

"You should go." He suggested, causing her to turn to him in surprise. "You and Clarence- you two should get out of here while you can. I understand. This isn't your fight. You shouldn't have to go through this mess just because I'm trying to be a hero, like you said. I'll figure something out. You should take Clarence and start that new life in Australia."

Meg gave him a strange, almost comical look. "Holy shit," She muttered incredulously, "How are you even real? God- it pisses me off-"

She stomped towards the door, huffing angrily to herself. When she reached it, she turned around and frowned at him, standing there by himself across the empty room.

"I'll stick around. God knows a 'do-gooder' like you needs all the help he can get. But don't try to get fresh with me in front of the cameras, angel. That ship has sailed."

She left him alone then. He stared after her for a few moments, repeating her parting words in his head.

She wasn't leaving.

Meg was going to help him.

He actually had a solid, realistic plan to beat Zachariah and Azazel. One that didn't mean he had to risk Dean or lose all the stolen money.

He could do this. He could save the company.

…-^o^-...

"Someone better start making some sense." Dean demanded. "What the hell is happening. Why is Cas being blackmailed?" T

he group had re-gathered in the Winchester's living room. Everyone was silent, thinking. Bobby, Mary, John and Lisa were sitting on the couch. Ellen was seated in the recliner with Jo perched on the armrest. Benny, Anna and Jess were sharing the love seat, while Dean, Ash and Sam had chosen to stand.

Sam cleared his throat, looking guilty. "It's about the money." He answered carefully. "There are a group of people on the inside who are embezzling millions from the company." The group frowned at his statement.

"They were talking about those rumors on the news." Jess stated, watching Sam closely. "You're saying they're true?"

Sam nodded at her, looking around at the gathered group. "They're using Castiel as a puppet to get what they want. The photographer has been following the Novak brothers around ever since their dad disappeared to get leverage on whoever took over his position. Now that Castiel has the job…" Sam trailed off, looking nervously at his brother, "…they had him hang around to be a threat against Dean if Castiel didn't do what they said."

In the tense silence that followed, everyone was thinking the same thing. It was Dean who finally asked, "So, all this crazy shit- everything that Cas has done- it's because of me? He's been doing what they say just to-?" He choked for a moment, jaw tightening. "This marriage- it's fake, too?"

There was a dangerous tinge of hope behind the question, as if he was almost too afraid of the answer, and what it would mean. His eyes never left his brother's, searching desperately for the answer he needed to hear.

Sam met his brother's eye, held it, and nodded. "I think so, Dean. It all has something to do with money."

"How is it you know so much about this, Sam?" Ellen asked from where she stood by Bobby. It wasn't an accusation, but Sam still cringed.

"I, uh, I've been talking… to Gabriel." Sam tilted his head to the phone resting in front of him.

"Gabriel?" Jess asked incredulously. "The missing Gabriel Novak? You've talked to him?"

'Sure has, babe!'

Every person in the room snapped their eyes down to Sam's phone.

"…G-Gabriel…?" Jess asked the phone carefully.

'The one and only!' Gabriel's voice buzzed from the phone.

The group stared at the phone, then at the embarrassed Sam, then back at the phone.

"Gabriel is the one who tipped me off about the photographer stalking Dean." Sam supplied. "He's in San Diego right now, trying to find a way to stop the bad guys and save his brother AND the ADA."

'And let me tell you folks- it is NOT going well. These fuckers have really covered their asses. Plus, I can't make a move against them when they have Dean-o as leverage against Cassie. It might actually be a GOOD thing that you're all in the loop now.'

"How's that, though? As soon as these guys find out we're on to them, they can just cut and run with the money. We can't keep their guy locked in Bobby's basement forever. Can the company survive a loss that big?" Sam asked the phone.

The sound of Gabriel's sigh filled the silence of the living room. 'Technically, no. From what I can tell, the missing money is in the billions-range. It's enough to cripple us. That's part of the problem Cassie is facing. Even if he didn't have Dean to worry about, the company could still be devastated by these guys. He's backed pretty tightly into a corner, and I'm… sitting around being useless.' He sighed again, frustrated.

There was more thoughtful silence as everyone considered this.

"So, just to be clear," Ash began, "The ADA has had a crap-ton of money stolen, and no one can trace it to figure out who has it?"

'Pretty much.' Gabriel answered.

"But, you know who you think has it, right?" Ash continued, as the others watched him.

'Oh, yeah. I've got an idea. The Big Baldy himself. But, it would take the FBI to seize his account information on our servers and find the money. And he could have it stashed safely in an secret offshore account as soon as he realized they were on to him. That's why we have to be careful not to spook him. This Dean-matter is one thing, but if he catches on that we know who he is and that he has the money, the ADA is done for.'

Everyone gave quick glances at Dean, who was standing in against the back wall, completely silent as he listened to Gabriel. There was something about his silence that made everyone shift uncomfortably.

As if it was the calm before a huge storm.

"Hmm," Ash continued, thinking out loud, "Sounds like you need a little technical assistance accessing those accounts."

From the other end of the line, Gabriel squawked a bitter laugh. 'No offense, buddy. I like you- I do. But, the ADA Headquarters is one of the most secure facilities in the country. The database is at sub-basement level, and protected by the security team 24/7. AND, it turns out our Head of Security is 'in bed' so to speak with the traitors in the company. There is no way to reach the servers without being caught.'

A wide grin spread across Ash's face. "Well, how could I pass up a challenge like that?" He looked around the room, before his eyes stopped on Dean. "Seems to me like we've got a pretty cut-and-dry 'Damsel in Distress' situation here. What do you say, Prince Charming?"

Dean's face suddenly split into a smile. "That's what I'm hearing, too."

"Whoa! NO-no way!" Sam burst out, looking between Ash and Dean. "Ash you can't be serious! This isn't a fairy tale or a game- this is real life. These guys are dangerous- deadly even! You can't honestly be considering breaking into the ADA Headquarters!"

Ash remained silent, smirking with his eyes still on Dean. Everyone else watched the oldest Winchester as well. He seemed to think hard about Sam's warning.

After an extended silence, Dean asked Ash in a serious voice, "If we can get in there, you really think you can manage hacking the database?"

Ash laughed confidently. "No problemo, amigo!"

"Dean-!" Sam was on his feet, eyes wide, "This is insane! Somebody- help me out here!" he looked around the room. "Dad? Mom?! Bobby, come on! Call him an 'Idjit' or something!"

"If Dean wants to do this, then I doubt we can talk him out of it." John answered at last. Mary and Bobby nodded in agreement.

Sam wasn't giving up. "Gabriel, talk to them. Tell them how dangerous this is!"

'Sorry, Sam.' Gabriel's voice finally spoke. 'I'm completely out of options on this end. If there's a chance they could pull it off…' His voice broke for a second before he stated quietly, 'My baby brother's about to be forced to sign away half of our father's company. Cassie'll never forgive himself if he does that. I can't just give up, Sam.'

Sam looked pained. "Gabe-"

"Can it, Sammy." Dean's voice cut in sharply. Everyone turned to him. He had pushed himself off the wall and was now glaring at his brother. "Look- I'm involved in this already. Cas is only doing what they say because he's trying to protect me, right? Well, I say that's bullshit! It's not his job to try and keep me safe. He's the one who's in real danger. I can't just sit around and let Cas give up everything just because he thinks it's for the best. Not-not again. Not this time. We're going to San Diego. We're gonna find a way to get Cas out of this shit-fest. Then, I'm gonna read him my goddamn letter and drag him back here- kickin' and screaming, if I have to!"

"That's my baby!" Mary cheered.

Dean winced at her, ears turning red, but he continued. "Tell us what we need to do, Gabriel."

'Alright! Nice speech, Dean-o!' Gabriel lauded. 'First up, we need to get you two to San Diego.'

"Oh, for Christ's sake-!" Sam groaned, throwing his brother an annoyed look. "No way am I letting Dean AND Ash loose in San Diego on their own. Somebody has to be the adult. I'm in."

"Oh, now wait just a moment. If you three are going, I'm in too." Benny drawled from his seat on the couch beside Anna.

"Pooky-bear!" Anna gasped, clutching his hand. Their eyes held one another for a moment and she spoke, "Then I'm going, too!"

"No, Sweetums, you have to be here for your mother, remember. She needs you. I'll be fine, I promise. Nothing in the world can keep me from you, princess." Anna frowned at him, worried, before nodding sadly and leaning forward to hug him.

"Right…" Jess interrupted the two love-birds. "Well, I'm going, too. I've got a job on the line, plus Charlie and Ruby are in the middle of all of this. I have to do something to help them."

"Jess-" Sam muttered, frowning at her.

"Let me hear ONE sexist protest from you and so help me, Sam… And you better believe we are going to be having a discussion about keeping secrets later." Jess skewered him with a glare that had him shutting up quickly.

"Damn, I like her." Mary muttered approvingly from her seat by John. Sam blushed.

'Alright- anyone else wanna jump in for a free trip to San Diego, and probably jail if this goes bad?' Gabriel asked cheerfully from the other end if the line.

"Lucifer." Dean stated. They all glanced at Dean, then down to where the small animal was flipped on his back lounging across Mary's lap.

'I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere about the Devil going to Georgia- not California.…' said Gabriel thoughtfully. 'Oh, well. Fine. Bring Satan along, too. I bet Cassie will be happy to see him. You Dean? Maybe not so much- especially when he finds out you're not safe and sound in Kansas…' He trailed off, before continuing cheerfully, 'Oh, well! His own fault for trying to be a damn hero, anyway. I swear, I don't know WHERE he gets that from. Anyway- now we just need a plan. We can't exactly have you lot popping up out of the blue and tipping the bad guys off.'

"Maybe a disguise? Sneak them into the ADA as customers or electricians or something?" Jo suggested.

'Maybe…' Gabriel tsked. 'And all my costumes are in a bonfire right now- go figure.'

"I want to talk to Cas first." Dean's voice interrupted their plotting. "We have to let him know that I'm not in danger, and that he doesn't have to go through with this fucking marriage."

Gabriel hummed thoughtfully from the other end of the line. 'I get it, but I heard he shut you down pretty effectively earlier today.' Dean's face dropped at the memory as Gabriel continued, 'I doubt he'll bother listening to you over the phone. Maybe I can use my contacts to get word to him on the inside…?'

"No, dude. I want to talk to him- in person. I'm not going to give him the chance to blow me off with anymore bullshit about 'having someone else'. He'll just try to lie if he thinks it will protect me. I'm not dealing with that again. Get me inside so I can talk him out of all of this. Then we can make our move and bring these fuckers down." Dean's tone was firm.

'It's not like ANYONE can just get in and see him, buddy. Maybe if I had more time, but the marriage ceremony is this Saturday. How am I supposed to arrange that?'

"There should be other chances, outside the ADA, right? Like at one of those events he's going been going to?" Ellen offered. "And then there's the Engagement Party. They said on the news that they are having one Thursday night. Is there a way to get Dean in to that?"

'Not without an invite, and that'd be tough…' Gabriel answered. 'Wait! That's it! I know how we can do it! The band!' Gabriel shouted gleefully, and added more to himself. 'I could have Balthy suggest it- YES! Leave it to me, Dean-o. You folks just bring your gear- I'll take care of the rest!'

"Holy shit, this might actually work." Sam muttered incredulously.

"Will definitely work, bro!" Ash slapped him on the back. "Piece of cake."

'Alright,' Gabriel continued. 'I'll have my contacts arrange a private jet at the Lawrence airport. You just need to get packed up and be there in about three hours. Think you can all manage that?'

The room was suddenly quiet again. Dean's face had visibly paled. "Ah…" He hesitated. "Jet? As in 'fly'?"

"Oh, boy," Sam muttered.

Behind Dean, Mary and John exchanged looks. Then, Mary carefully stood and passed Lucifer off to John before leaving out the front door quietly. Dean didn't seem to notice his mother's departure, more concerned with the immediate matter at hand.

"Actually, you know, mine and Lucifer's bags are already packed and loaded in the Impala, so we'll just stick to the original plan and make the drive, I think." He gave a nervous chuckle.

'Drive? Hell, no. That'll take too long, Dean-o.' Gabriel responded. 'We're on a timeline here. A plane is the fastest option.'

"Dean, come on. You can do this. For Castiel, remember. It'll be fine." Sam tried to reassure his brother, who was suddenly turning a shade of green.

'What's the problem?' Gabriel asked, confused.

"Dean's, uh, Dean's not great with heights or, well, flying, Gabe." Sam answered, eyeing his brother who had broken into a sweat.

'You're shitting me.' Gabriel moaned. 'Listen, the sooner you guys get here, the better. We need to kick this plan off as soon as possible. Nut up, Dean-o.'

"Y-yeah- no. It's fine. I can- I can do it. I just think-" He turned, "I just think I need to throw up first, that's all."

The front door opened, and Mary slipped back inside. John glanced at her, then down at what she was holding.

He smirked.

"Dean, come on now, brother. You can't psych yourself up. It's all good, okay. Nine hours tops and we'll be there. You can sleep through the whole trip." Benny tried to calm the oldest Winchester, but Dean was beginning to panic.

"Nine hours!? NINE?" He spluttered helplessly, eyes wide. "Humans were never meant to be away from solid ground for that long! I-I can't do it! What if there's a storm? Or the plane's engine-"

There was a small click and popping sound.

Then Dean dropped like a log.

One moment he was standing, arms gesturing wildly as he argued-

-the next he was horizontal, eyes closed and face pressed against the living room carpet.

Everyone was frozen.

Mary's voice was cheerful as she stated, "That should keep him nice and quiet for, oh, what do you think, Hon? Eighteen hours? It was the horse tranquilizer, so…." She waved a small gun in her husband's direction.

"Yeah," John replied conversationally, "Eighteen to twenty sounds about right, I think."

Lucifer hopped down from his spot in John's lap where he had been resting, and climbed up Dean's back, settling down in a ball to sleep.

'What's happening over there? Hey- someone talk to me!' Gabriel was whining from the phone.

"Mrs. Winchester totally just shot Dean with a horse tranq!" Ash shouted gleefully. "He's drooling on the carpet!"

'Oh. Well, that works for me! Alright gang! Load him up and get down here to San Diego. We've got some major house cleaning to do.' Gabriel replied cheerfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's like watching two trains heading straight for each other at full speed, and knowing that they are going to have a head on, disastrous collision. But all you can do is watch, and hope that everyone survives...


	37. The Gang's All Here

The private jet touched down in San Diego early on Wednesday morning.

The sun was only just beginning to rise and burn through the early morning haze as the small group hesitantly disembarked from the plane.

A tall, solitary figure was waiting patiently next to a large white van.

"Welcome to sunny San Diego!" A thick British accent greeted them.

Sam stepped forward to meet the man, hand outstretched. "You must be Gabriel's friend, Balthazar."

The man took his hand, shaking it lightly as he scanned Sam and the others carefully. "Yes, I am Loki's friend- keep in mind please, that the stakes are high here. Slip-ups like mentioning Loki by his name could be disastrous while we are in the proverbial Lion's Den." Sam frowned, nodding to him solemnly in understanding. Balthazar continued, "Anywho! Which of you is this 'Dean' I've heard so much about? I was informed ad nauseam about green eyes…?" He scanned them again with sharp blue eyes before Sam answered.

"Ah- right. Loki probably didn't mention it." Sam ran his hand through his hair awkwardly. "My brother, Dean, is inside the plane. Er, unconscious. Our, uh, our Mom shot him with a tranquilizer dart when he started having a panic attack about flying here. I know that's gonna make things a little tricky, but, um…" Not sure what else to say, Sam just shrugged, slightly embarrassed for his strange family.

Balthazar blinked several times before clapping his hands together and replying cheerfully, "Right! Outstanding start! One unconscious suitor and one engaged princess in need of rescuing. Well, let's not waste time. We can load all your band gear up, then your brother, and be on our way."

Jess stepped forward and asked nervously, "Uh, yeah, about that- Loki didn't mention where we were going to be staying. Or anything, really. Except for us to 'trust him'." She made a pained face. "I've known him for a while now, and that's asking a lot."

Balthazar's face suddenly split into a bright smile. "How very true. Well, put your faith in me, my dear. You'll be staying at one of my residences while you are here. The ADA executives, myself included, have been confined to the headquarters building after hours, at least until the media calms down. Loki and Kali will meet us there."

"Kali?" Sam asked as the group began transferring their heavy luggage into the van. The others glanced over as well, curious.

The British man's lips tilted into a small grin. "Another codename. Loki's choice. Although I agree completely with the name." He seemed to be enjoying a private joke, continuing conversationally, "You know, Kali? Hindu goddess? Maker and destroyer of worlds? Scary as all fuck? I've recently had an opportunity to witness that first-hand. Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise! We'll meet the happy couple soon enough."

Once all the gear was loaded, and Sam, Ash, Balthazar and Benny had carefully transferred Dean's limp, snoring body into the vehicle, they were off in the direction of the not-so-distant skyscrapers sparkling under the dawning sun.

…-^o^-…

At the ADA building, Castiel awoke to the light of dawn breaking through the blinds of his bedroom window.

He stared up at the ceiling for several minutes as he blinked the sleep away. The previous night's newest collection of horrors replayed across his mind.

Engaged. To Meg, of all people. Thank God she wasn't the nightmare he had assumed when he first met her. In fact, she was his last hope, of all things….

Was it really possible that he was going to survive this madness? To win against Zachariah and everyone who was after the company?

Could he really trust Meg not to take her half and run with it? Or not use it to finally win her father's affection?

He was putting all his faith into a stranger, based on a few brief conversations with her.

And on Saturday, they were going to be husband and wife. And he was going to be the father of a six-year-old, apparently.

Dean's smiling face flashed across his mind. There was no room for doubt. No other options for the company to stay afloat. For Dean to be safe. He had to pull this off.

He tossed the covers off with purpose.

…-^o^-…

Charlie muffled a helpless sob as she stared at her phone.

No text messages. No missed calls.

No Gilda, with her soft, musical voice and tinkling fairy-like laughter. Just when they were finally beginning to actually speak to one another offline. One dumb, risky decision, and Gilda was gone. Not even leaving behind a image for Charlie to mourn over. Just that magical voice, hinting at an equally gentle and soft smile.

She glanced beside her at the now barren and empty desk that had belonged to Ruby just yesterday.

No Ruby, either. Past scruples aside, Ruby had turned out to be the hard-core heroine that Charlie had always gushed over in movies and books. Totally bad-ass to the core. The barest hint of a soft spot, if you squinted. And she was fired, all because of an insane megalomaniac and poorly thought out plan.

Charlie's poorly thought out plan.

She let her head drop with a clunk onto the desk.

"Charlie…? Are you alright?"

She kept her head pressed against the cool wood of the desk, but turned to glance sadly up at Castiel. "Oh, hey, boss. M'fine. Just…" She turned to Ruby's desk again and Castiel followed her gaze.

"Why has Ruby's desk been cleared?" Castiel frowned as he blinked at the desk, then worriedly at Charlie.

"Ah… No one told you?" She asked, suddenly wide-eyed. "Um, well, I guess last night was…uh, pretty busy with all the reporters and stuff…" Charlie trailed off, growing more alarmed as she looked desperately over to Naomi and Alfie nearby. "Maybe Ms. Naomi should-"

"Charlie," Castiel interrupted, making her meet his concerned eye. "What has happened to Ruby?"

Charlie saw Alfie look over to them and spot Castiel. He stood quickly, saying something to Naomi, who looked up at Castiel as well. They both moved quickly to intercept Castiel's questioning.

Castiel turned and saw them approaching. "Where is Ruby?" It was a demand, though one laced with concern.

"Good morning, Mr. Novak," Naomi greeted him with her usual professionalism. "I'm afraid there was an… incident yesterday." Naomi glanced briefly at Charlie, who cringed guiltily, before continuing, "Ruby has been let go. I'm afraid she learned about the potential office closures, including the one in her hometown of Lawrence, and she became very… agitated." Naomi carefully avoided his gaze as she spoke.

"Agitated?" Castiel asked, confused. He looked at all three of them before he seemed to realize who they were talking about. "OH. Oh, no. How-how bad was it?"

Naomi sighed as Alfie and Charlie winced. "It seems she heard the closures were Zachariah's plan. She went to his office…"

Castiel stared at her as she trailed off. He slowly nodded his head, understanding. "That-that actually explains quite a lot. Zachariah seemed, uh, upset yesterday evening." He shifted uncomfortably, apparently thinking. "Is she, um… Do you know if she is okay?" He asked carefully, meeting Naomi's eye.

Charlie was too tired and frustrated to remain silent. "You mean is she safe from that psychotic bastard? Doubt it. None of us really are. That dude makes Voldemort look like a hotdog salesman."

Castiel turned to her, blinking in surprise. Naomi's clipped voice replied, "Thank you, Charlie. That's quite enough." She frowned warningly at Charlie, who was determined not to be silenced.

"But this is stupid! He already knows Zachariah's, like, the embodiment of all evil! He should know the truth-"

"I said that's enough, Ms. Bradbury," Naomi responded sharply. "Mr. Novak has enough to worry about with his engagement party-"

"What truth?" Castiel cut in, looking between the two. No one answered him, both women having a glare-off with each other. It was so out of character for both of them that Castiel had no idea what to make of it. He turned to the silent Alfie. "What truth?" he demanded again.

"Ah," Alfie suddenly did a spot-on impression of a deer caught in the headlights. He looked nervously at Naomi, as if begging her for help.

"Alfie," Castiel dragged his attention back to him. "Answer me. What truth?"

Alfie seemed to crumple under Castiel's steely gaze. "Uh, well, sir, Ruby may have been in Zachariah's office for, uh, other reasons…?"

"Alfie," Naomi warned lowly. Castiel turned to her, frowning. She stared him down for a moment, before seeming to give up. "Alright, sir," she sighed wearily, "There is… more to the story. But…" She looked around the packed office. "We should discuss this in private. With Balthazar, as well."

"Balthazar?" Castiel asked, even more confused, now. He glanced around at their faces. "What does Balthazar have to do with any of this?"

"Charlie," Naomi ignored Castiel's question to address the secretary. "Call him. Get him here. Then we're all going to have a discussion that is long overdue."

…-^o^-…

Balthazar's condo was on the fifteenth floor of a tall building in the heart of downtown San Diego.

As soon as Sam stepped through the front door with his bags he was nearly toppled over by Gabriel as the smaller man leapt into his arms for a hug.

"Gigantor! I knew you couldn't keep away from me for long, you flirt!"

Sam's face reddened as he looked apologetically towards Jess following right behind him. She just smirked knowingly.

Gabriel pulled away and followed Sam's stare. "Jess, you vixen! I missed you, too, Beautiful!" He made a move, as though he were about to dive towards her next, but a growled warning made him freeze on the spot.

Jess's eyes widened and she smiled, delighted. "Ruby?!"

From the decadent maroon couch where she sat, Ruby waved towards Jess, but her eyes never left Gabriel, who was grinning bashfully.

Jess looked back and forth between them, taking in the unspoken words. "Oh. OH," she muttered. Sam looked at her, lost. She just smiled and winked at him, moving into the room. "So, that solves the mystery of Kali." Jess grinned, turning to Sam, "This is Gabriel's secretary- the one I've told you about. The, um, fire department incident last year."

Sam's face paled, eyebrows shooting up his forehead as Ruby smiled like a cat eating cream.

"Some of my better work," she muttered with a hint of pride.

"I had a concussion-AND third degree burns!" Gabriel added, face belying the seriousness of his injuries.

"Oh, that's, um, cool…?" Sam responded dutifully, unsure of how to proceed. Thankfully, he was saved by the rest of the group arriving.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ash followed behind them, arms full. "There he is! How's it hanging, Gabe?"

Gabriel turned from staring adoringly at Ruby to grin at the mullet-sporting man. "Pretty good, compadre! Well, not counting the blackmailing traitors who've been living amongst us this whole time, of course. How was the flight?"

Benny and Balthazar appeared at the door behind the group, pushing a rolling bellhop cart between them. The distinct body bag-sized duffel laying across the surface of the cart caught Gabriel's eye.

"The flight was hella-awesome, man!" Ash answered with a grin. Gabriel approached the bag that hid the unconscious Winchester and poked at it, smiling. Ash continued, "Dean was out the whole way. Shame, too. That was one of the fanciest private jets I've ever been on."

Gabriel seemed impressed, eyes taking in the other man's sleeveless plaid shirt and worn jeans carefully. "And just how many times have you flown in a private jet?"

Ash smiled and tapped his nose, "Oh, a few times. Job offers and such. 'Why pass up a free trip to Venice or London?' That's my motto!" He moved further into the room, setting his things down, ignoring the raised eyebrows of the rest of the group. His eyes landed on Ruby and he moved fast, hopping onto the soft sofa right beside her. "And how are you, my beautiful tigress? You remember me, right? 'Cuz I definitely remember you." He planted a delicate kiss on the back of her hand.

Ruby smirked, shooting a grin at Gabriel, who was scowling.

He practically teleported between the two. "Alright. ALRIGHT. Don't make me file a ten foot restraining order, bud. Ruby here is-"

"Ruby is what?" The blonde woman asked, the warning in her voice clear as her eyes flashed at him.

The rest of the group had stopped to watch the show unfolding in front of them.

"Mine. I was going to say 'mine'," Gabriel stated matter-of-factly.

This apparently wasn't the answer Ruby had been expecting. Her cheeks suddenly flushed bright red. She gaped at the serious-faced Gabriel and then at the staring group. She cleared her throat, managing to turn her mouth into an unbelievable frown before muttering, "Idiot…."

Ash looked like a kid let loose in a candy shop. "We-e-ll, excuse my misunderstanding." He didn't look very apologetic as he winked at Gabriel. Gabriel preened and winked back.

Balthazar's exasperated voice interrupted the moment. "If you lot are done, we could use some assistance unloading everything. I'd like to remind you about the body hidden in the bag here, and the drum set and the rest of the band equipment still needs carrying up…."

They unloaded Dean first, choosing to drop him unceremoniously onto the bed in the guest room to sleep off the remaining hours of induced sleep. It only took another ten minutes to carry all the gear and the extremely unhappy Lucifer upstairs. Once they had everything in the apartment, the group collapsed onto the various sofas in the large living room.

Sam finally had a moment to take in their surroundings. The room had the feel of simple wealth. What few decor items he could see seemed grossly expensive. The view out the large windows was also impressive. Just past a few tall buildings nearby, the blue Pacific coast spread out into the horizon. He turned to Balthazar, "So, this is your condo? I kind of expected you to be on the top floor, you know? Penthouse or something. Aren't ADA executives supposed to be loaded?"

Balthazar, who had moved to a liquor stand against the wall, smirked and answered, "Oh, we are 'loaded'. But, in the grander scheme of things, we are certainly NOT as wealthy as many of the other rich and famous living in San Diego. No, above my humble abode, here, live many of the top names in entertainment and business. I don't actually choose to stay in this building for most of my visits anyway. I have a pleasant little set up down in Hillcrest." Sam felt like he was missing something when Ash and Gabriel's grins widened at the man's words.

The sound of a phone chiming drew the Balthazar's attention. He answered it cheerfully, "Yes?"

There was a long pause as he listened. His face shifted into a frown while the others waited patiently. From his small carrier nearby, Lucifer let out a short, impatient chorus of 'meow'. Sam looked over and watched as the cat's eyes stared hungrily at Ruby's long, blonde hair. Jess and the others- even Ash- had taken up the habit of keeping their long hair up and out of sight whenever the kitten was free. Sam made a practice of having somewhere else to be whenever that was the case. Luckily, Lucifer was relatively tame whenever Mary was present, but they would have to be even more careful now. He made a mental note to warn Ruby about the unholy taste for hair that Lucifer had.

Evil, he thought to himself, eyes narrowing just as the kitten's reflective eyes turned suddenly to stare back at him.

Sam did NOT flinch.

His attention turned back to Balthazar as the man suddenly spoke into the phone.

"Tell him? What-everything?" He asked. There was another pause as Balthazar looked over to Gabriel uncertainly.

"I suppose… Yes, he's here. The whole Lawrence group, actually…" He paused, eyes rolling dramatically as he leaned towards Jess and stated dully, "Charlie says 'hello soul sister'." He returned his attention back to the phone. "Yes, I can come in, but-"

Balthazar set the phone against his shoulder and spoke to Gabriel. "Apparently Naomi is about to tell your brother all about Ruby and Charlie's little fiasco yesterday. And about your presence here."

Gabriel's face scrunched up. "How the hell does she even-?! Ugh." He face-palmed. "Alfie, of course! Geez, that kid…" He shook his head, taking on a pale sweat. "How much does she know? 'Cause you know Cassie's got a temper! He'll do a lot more than steal some tarts over this one!" The rest of the group watched as Gabriel worked himself into a frenzy, hopping nervously from foot to foot. Ruby stared at her nails, ignoring him.

Balthazar remained calm, speaking into the phone again. "Charlie, is Naomi aware that Prince Charming is here?"

There was a tense pause before Balthazar replied, "Well, at least that little surprise isn't ruined." He turned to the group, "Charlie doesn't think they know about Dean."

There was a sigh of relief amongst the group.

"Oh, yeah! Great! At least Dean hasn't got to deal with the wrath of Castiel! What about me, though?" Gabriel threw himself dramatically face-down onto the sofa, moaning pathetically. "I'm dead. Cassie's gonna commit fratricide when he finds out I've been hanging around this whole time!"

Balthazar ignored him, still speaking into the phone. "Yes, I'll be in shortly."

He hung up, smiling at the many faces sitting around the room. "Well, I'd best go face the music. I imagine Castiel is not going to be very happy about my aiding and abetting his missing brother. This should be quite fun." He sighed wistfully and went to collect his things.

"We'll hash out our plan here while you deal with Castiel," Sam said on behalf of the still-panicking Gabriel, who was being patted on the back by Ash and Jess as he hyperventilated into the couch cushion. "Do you think you can manage to talk them into hiring our band, though? It's pretty short notice, and we can't give away our band name to Castiel, he might shut us down before we can even get there."

Balthazar chimed cheerfully from the door, "Oh, never you worry. Just leave it to me. I have a close relationship with the PR manager."

…-^o^-…

"What do you mean, 'you can't find her'? She didn't just disappear, Uriel," Zachariah hissed. He frowned at the shattered remnants of his office, then glared at head of security. "I want that woman found and dealt with properly. She may know more than she realizes."

"Yes, sir," Uriel responded.

"And what about that other matter? The intern?" Zachariah demanded, tossing a chunk of broken glass into the trash bin with a scowl.

Uriel shifted uncomfortably, catching Zachariah's attention. "I am still attempting to locate his employment file, sir. It's as if… as if he doesn't exist. All I have is the name 'Alfie', and it isn't showing up in the system. No one I've asked knows what his full name is or anything about him except that he's been here too long to just be an intern. We have looked through all the office records. He isn't listed as a trainee or secretary under anyone we've checked, including Naomi."

Zachariah slammed his fist into his desk. "Then check EVERYONE'S records! That little bastard must be listed as working somewhere at this damn company!"

Uriel frowned. "Yes, sir, but that could takes days of searching the database division by division, especially without his full name."

Zachariah rolled his eyes in annoyance. "My God, I'm surrounded by idiots," he muttered helplessly. Then, he spoke slowly to the security leader. "Uriel, we have access to the financial database for the company, don't we?" The huge man nodded. "So, if we can manage to funnel billions of dollars out of the company and into one account, don't you think that the same access can be used to trace payment information to an employee?" Uriel looked confused. Zachariah pinched his nose. "Listen carefully, you moron. Alfie is an employee SOMEWHERE in this company. He is getting a paycheck. You have access to this company's account database. Follow. The. Money."

At last, Uriel's face relaxed in understanding. "I see, sir."

Zachariah waved him away, shaking his head slowly as the man exited, broken glass and debris crunching loudly under his feet the entire way.

Zachariah spoke quietly to a decapitated figurine laying on his desk. "It is SO hard to find good help these days."

…-^o^-…

Castiel sat pale-faced at his desk, the early morning light beaming brightly throughout the office.

"I don't understand," he repeated hollowly for the third time. "Why would she DO that? Just… go berserk? What did she find out?"

Across from him, Naomi, Alfie, Charlie, and Balthazar stood stoically at attention, no one wanting to be the first to either lie or tell the truth.

Castiel sighed helplessly, his large blue eyes betraying his exhaustion and stress. "Please, just…" he gestured hopelessly at the group. "Just tell me the truth. There's too many secrets around here already."

It was Charlie who caved first.

She blurted the words out so quickly that even she seemed surprised. "We know about the blackmail!" Castiel blinked in surprise. "I mean- more than just the photos that you got the other day! Like, those too, but also about Dean and all the office closures, andMegandZachariahandthemarriageandtheCPOAandthe-"

"Thank you, Ms. Bradbury," Naomi cut the redhead off before she hyperventilated.

Everyone looked at Castiel who appeared to be struck dumb by the sudden revelation. "I-I see. But, Ruby?" he managed.

Naomi answered solemnly. "She and Ms. Bradbury decided, very recklessly, to play heroines and attempt to steal the blackmail photos from Zachariah's office during your run yesterday, sir. Ruby…" She cleared her throat. "was compromised. The office closures were just a red herring so Zachariah wouldn't discover that his plan was no longer a secret."

Castiel's face seemed to crumple as he looked at Charlie's guilt-bowed head. "Charlie… you shouldn't have-"

"We were just trying to save you, sir," she mumbled, keeping her eyes downcast.

Castiel's shoulders sagged in defeat. "So, you all know about the marriage?" He finally asked, watching the group nod in confirmation. "How?"

Balthazar cleared his throat, an overly-cheerful smile plastered on his face. "Yes. Now, that's the real kicker, here." He chuckled lightly but it died off when the others only tensed further and seemed to cringe subtly away from him. He cleared his throat again. "So, you know how your brother is supposedly missing?" His emphasis of the word had Castiel's eyes narrowing dangerously.

"No…," he whispered, more a warning than a denial of the implication.

"Er, yes, I'm afraid," Balthazar countered, grimacing. The rest of the group had moved away from the Brit, maximizing the distance in case Castiel's glare actually managed to set him aflame.

Castiel's intake of breath sounded like a hiss as they watched his face darken. "Where?"

"Um… close?" Balthazar hedged, attempting another weak laugh that immediately caught in his throat.

Castiel rose, eyes pinned on Balthazar. "Do you have a number to reach him?" The blonde gave one slow nod. "Make the call. Now."

As Balthazar complied and pulled out his phone, Charlie cut in. "Well! I'm betting you'll want to catch up with your brother in private, so we'll just-"

"Stay," Castiel ground out as Balthazar stepped forward and passed him his cell phone.

There was a short pause as all assembled watched Castiel press the cell phone to his ear. When he spoke, his voice was withering. "Gabriel." There was a few seconds of silence before Castiel's calm seemed to snap. "I know this is NOT the Walmart Customer Service Desk!"

…-^o^-…

"Um, excuse me, handsome, but I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to pay my fiancé a visit." Meg flashed a grin at the annoyed glare Dick was casting her.

"Yes. Your fiancé. I'd very much like to hear more about just how in the hell that happened." Dick spat the words out slowly, trying not to draw any more attention to them from the rest of the office. It was useless, anyway. The moment Meg appeared on the top floor, stepping out of the elevator casually and making her way towards Castiel's office, the entire floor had stopped working to gawk. Dick had dropped mid-sentence in a discussion with Michael to sprint over and catch her before she reached the closed door. Now he was physically blocking her.

"Honey, jealousy isn't a good look on you." She gave him a knowing smirk and continued. "Now, my future hubby and I have some flower arrangements to decide on, so…" She side-stepped him, strolling for the door again.

Dick hurried to cut her off again, his face furious as he caught her arm, jerking her to a halt. The rest of the office gasped audibly. Dick kept his voice low and threatening. "I don't know what you have on him, but I will NOT allow this marriage to happen."

Meg spared him a mock-pitying glance. "This isn't one of those melodramatic 'If I can't have him- no one can' speeches, is it?" She gave a short laugh as Dick's face darkened. "Oh, poor baby," she crooned. "I heard about your little one-sided break-up. You should know when to give up. Honestly, it's embarrassing! Castiel hasn't been yours since, well… since he ditched your bragging-ass for that straight mechanic."

Dick tightened his grip on her arm. "I am aware of his infatuation with Dean Winchester," Dick growled low enough that only she could hear, "Which is why I am having a difficult time believing that he has suddenly fallen madly in love with you."

"Well, we've actually known each other-" Meg began the rehearsed lie, but was cut off quickly.

"I KNOW that there was never a secret romance between you two," Dick hissed, trying, and failing, at keeping his voice down. "You have something on him. This marriage is a scam. What are you after? His money? The company?!" People could definitely hear him now. He yanked roughly on Meg's arm, causing her to wince. Several people were approaching them carefully, as if preparing to intercede. Michael was watching with a disapproving frown, but kept his distance. Dick shot scathing looks at all of them, effectively warning them off as he continued, "Call off this ridiculous marriage- or I swear to God-!"

"Dick! Let her go, now!" The door to Castiel's office had opened unnoticed at some point and the man, himself, was stomping towards them. Behind him, Charlie, Alfie, and Naomi stepped out of the office, looking worried. But it was Balthazar's unreadable expression that caused Dick to release the smirking woman's arm and move away quickly.

"Meg, are you okay?" Castiel asked, concerned.

Meg shrugged as if she was used to being manhandled and threatened. "I'm fine, angel. Just catching up with your ex, here." She flashed Dick a smug smile.

Castiel turned on Dick, his jaw tense. "I'm beginning to see a trend with you, Dick. Do I really need to repeat myself?" Dick appeared genuinely guilty, but Castiel didn't stop. "We. Are. Over. Is that clear enough? Stop trying to pick fights with the people I care for."

"I wasn't- Castiel, she's not-" Dick stammered.

"No! Dick, you have to-" Castiel sighed and shook his head helplessly. "Just move on. Please." With that, he turned, gesturing for Meg to enter his office. The others moved out of their way, watching as the office door closed sharply behind them.

Every eye in the office turned back to stare at Dick, none more intensely than Balthazar's.

Dick stood there for several seconds, frozen as he blinked at the shut door.

Then he turned, ignoring the looks from the rest of the office as he reached the elevator and pressed the 'Down' button.

…-^o^-…

"I'm sorry about him."

Castiel sat on the office sofa across from Meg, frowning to himself.

"Hey, no worries. We all have those ex's that can't take a hint. I'm no Helen of Troy like you, but even I've been fought over once or twice. Plus, he seems more upset that I'm holding something over you than that you might actually have feelings for me."

Castiel leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah. That seems to be going around." He finally tilted his head down to meet Meg's eye. "We have a problem," he stated.

Meg just grinned, "Angel, it seems to me like you've got ninety-nine problems, but at least you know I'm not one." She winked with a smirk.

Castiel fought back a small smile before sobering. "My brother, Gabriel, is here. In San Diego. Turns out he's been sneaking around this whole time."

Meg's smile dropped, replaced with confusion. "Well, shit," she muttered. "What's he been doing? Aside from leaving you hanging, I mean?"

"Apparently he's been trying to head off Zachariah's plans."

Meg snorted. "Well, fuck. Safe to say he's failed so far." She leaned back, kicking her feet up on the small coffee table.

Castiel nodded slowly. "He knows." At Meg's blank look, he continued, "He knows about us. The marriage. All of it. I just spoke to him, to explain our plan to get the money back and then expose them all. He thinks it's too risky. He, uh, doesn't seem to trust you," he said apologetically.

Meg shrugged nonchalantly. "No shocker there. So, what? He's gonna come riding in at the last moment like a knight in shining armor to stop the marriage, then take back over the company from you? 'Cause that would be bad. Fucking horrible, actually. Zachariah would lose his shit, then all of this you've been working to keep safe... kablooey." She mimicked an explosion with her hands.

Castiel nodded. "I think he knows that. Gabriel wouldn't do anything to risk the company. He's smarter than that. But I'm sure he's planning something. And he's got help."

"Help?" Meg echoed questioningly.

Castiel tilted his head in the direction of the door. "The group who was just here. They know everything, too."

Meg leaned back with a groan. "Damn, babe. Nothing's easy with you, is it?"

"This is bad, Meg. Gabriel isn't talking. None of them are. I know they're up to something. If they ruin our plan, then…"

"…bad shit will follow," Meg finished. "Check. So, what do we do?"

"We have to be ready for whatever Gabriel has up his sleeve. There's no telling what's going to happen next."

…-^o^-…

Just as the elevator doors were closing, a hand was thrust between them.

Balthazar appeared, grinning, as they reopened. Dick scowled at the man and made a pointed effort to leave the cart, but Balthazar caught him by the arm, pulling him back in and holding him until the doors successfully closed, trapping them in the small space together. He tapped the the number for his floor, then turned his full attention to Dick.

Dick immediately moved to the farthest side of the cart, pretending not to notice the other man. His plan was foiled when Balthazar reached forward again and pressed the emergency stop button. The elevator came to a jarring halt, lights flickering ominously.

Dick grabbed ahold of the interior railing and snapped, "What the hell are you trying to do- kill us?!" He moved to reach around the Brit and pulled the button to resume their descent. The elevator lurched as it came back online.

"Ah, well. I suppose we can have this conversation with an audience, if that's what you really want. I just figured you would appreciate a certain level of… privacy."

Dick's face paled and he shot forward to hurriedly hit the button again. The cart shuddered violently to a stop for the second time.

Dick hissed under his breath, demanding, "For God's sake, just get it out then!" He crossed his arms and frowned at the wall of the tiny cart. A faint blush was spreading across his serious features.

Balthazar's cheerful voice began, "Well, as you may know Dickie-"

"Don't call me that," interrupted the other man.

"-I have been courting you, of late-"

"Harassing. You've been harassing me, of late," Dick cut in again.

"-and I feel that it's about time that we-"

"There's no 'we'."

"-step our relationship up to the next level," he finished, beaming at Dick.

Dick stared at Balthazar for a span of several silent seconds. At last, he slowly shook his head incredulously and replied firmly, "Hell no."

He made a move to restart the elevator, but Balthazar grabbed his hand before he could reach the button. He stepped closer, bringing Dick's hand up to press against his chest as the dark haired man attempted to pull away, the blush spreading across his face as Balthazar crowded him against the wall.

"But you haven't heard my argument yet," he purred.

"Oh, for the love of-! Fine. Just say it so I can get the hell out of here!" Dick attempted to push at the blonde man to force some space between them. Balthazar just moved closer, leaning forward to speak intimately into Dick's burning red ear.

"I like you."

Dick made a strangled coughing sound, his gaze boring into the wall beside him to avoid Balthazar's twinkling blue eyes.

"I like the way you frown at people when they disappoint you. I like the way you always look so…" Balthazar chuckled. "…unruffled, even when you're pissed. And I LOVE your little obsessive-competitive streak. I get SO turned on watching you put people in their place."

"W-well, if that's all, then..." Dick tried desperately to wiggle away from the looming man.

"BUT, what I love most of all," Balthazar continued, tilting his head so that his warm breath tickled Dick's neck, "is how you strut around like a proud peacock, bragging to everyone who'll listen, when you're in love."

"He-he told you about that!?" Dick choked out, mortified.

Balthazar's voice dropped several octaves, "You know, Dickie, if you were MY boyfriend, I'd love to know you were bragging about how hot I get for you."

Dick felt like he was already about to spontaneously combust at the man's whispered words. He shoved harder against the man's chest, his face on fire. "Th-that's enough! I've listened to what you had to say. We're done, here."

He reached around Balthazar and yanked the elevator button and they were moving again. Dick kept his eyes focused intently on the descending numbers flashing above the panel as his trembling hand held onto the interior rail.

"To be fair, though," Balthazar's voice continued as if there'd been no interruption, "I'd likely do much of the same. That is, if you were mine. I'm horribly territorial, you know. I'd mark you all up so the whole world knew who you belonged to. Pounce on you without warning in public, regardless of who was watching. Muss up that impeccable appearance you work so hard on and leave you in complete disarray every chance I-"

Dick finally snapped, spinning around fast and clasping his hand over the blond man's mouth to silence him. Their eyes finally met, wide brown and intense blue.

"Stop! Just-just stop talking. I-I get it!"

Balthazar's hands moved, trailing up Dick's arms to his shoulders, and finally to the hand covering his mouth. He tugged gently until he could speak. Dick's worried gaze darted to Balthazar's free mouth briefly before returning to his eyes.

"I'm intending to drop by your room tonight. Late. Say… midnight?" The elevator dinged. Dick jumped at the sound, flinging himself away from Balthazar as the doors slid open.

"No-no you will not!" Dick hissed, desperately trying to regain his composure. "I'll be asleep by then. I won't let you in!" His quiet insistence fell on deaf ears as Balthazar strolled out of the cart into the international liaison offices floor, where he worked.

"I'll see you tonight, Dickie." Balthazar waved happily as the doors began to shut between them.

"I said don't bother, damn it-!" The doors cut him off. Dick's mouth snapped shut as he glanced helplessly around the empty cart.

"…fuck."

…-^o^-…

Zachariah paced restlessly behind his desk. A knock on the glass door of his office made him look up to see Uriel standing on the other side, looking more tense than usual.

Zachariah huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This had better be good news."

Uriel hesitated, then moved through the door, stepping carefully over the crunching glass,

"Have no cleaning crews come yet, sir?" he hedged, sensing Zachariah's dangerous mood.

Zachariah glared balefully at the dark-skinned man. "I sent them away. This… mess… fuels the hellfire burning in my gut." He sat regally in the leather chair behind his desk, pulling one of his splintered wooden plaques into his lap. He looked up at Uriel as he lifted a small tube of superglue, squirting the liquid carefully and holding the pieces together tightly. "Don't try to change the subject, you oaf," he snapped. "I specifically remember sending you to find out about a certain someone! What have you found?"

"Yes, sir," Uriel said gravely. "As I said before, we could find no records of him in the company files."

"Yes, we've been over this already," Zachariah said through gritted teeth as he tested the bond on the two pieces of polished wood. They held for a moment, before one piece dropped lamely to the floor with a clunk. Zachariah clenched the other piece in his hand, glaring at it.

"You had suggested I search the company's employment funds, to see who he was affiliated with—"

"I KNOW!" Zachariah yelled, chucking the remaining piece of the plaque across the room. He paused to collect himself. "Just… tell me what you're here to tell me, and STOP telling me things I'm already aware of!"

"Well, sir," Uriel began, looking unusually concerned, "it seems that there is no one by the name of Alfie at the company." He shifted nervously, his huge frame rolling like a mountain being rocked by an earthquake. "However, there is a Samandriel Alford, but he, uh, hasn't been receiving money from the company." Zachariah squinted up at him, clearly on the verge of another annoyed rant. Uriel ended quickly, "He's being paid directly from Theodore Novak's personal account."

"…come again?" Zachariah asked blankly, staring at Uriel as though sure he'd misunderstood.

"Sir…" Uriel continued tightly, "it appears as though Theodore Novak has been keeping this young man very close. As if he's been… grooming him."

Zachariah stood slowly, hand gripping onto his desk tight enough to make his hand white from the pressure. "What, exactly, are you telling me, Uriel?"

"It appears that Samandriel Alford… Alfie… is Theodore Novak's protégée," Uriel stated clearly, eyeing his employer warily. "Mr. Novak has been preparing him to take over the company in his place. Not Michael, as everyone has been led to believe."

Crack. Zachariah looked down to see the edge of his desk had crunched under his tense grip. He looked at it with an almost maddened stare before letting go. He looked up to see Uriel staring at him in alarm, and a strange sort of giggle bubbled up in his throat.

"Alfie… is the heir to the ADA…?" His face was contorted into a terrifying mask of manic humor. "Alfie…not Michael…not Gabriel or even Castiel…?" Another series of giggles erupted from the man.

Uriel eyed him with alarm. "… sir?"

Suddenly, Zachariah shoved his way past Uriel, and out of the office. Uriel hesitated, before hurrying after him.

…-^o^-…

"I don't understand." Castiel repeated, "This is a marriage ceremony, not a wedding. There's no need for you to wear a white dress."

"C'mon, handsome. Give a girl a break. I wanna wear a damn dress, so I'm gonna. Don't make a big deal out of it!" Meg crossed her arms over her chest, frowning out the large windows along the wall of the office.

They had spent the last several hours going over the plans for the engagement party and marriage ceremony. To Castiel's surprise, Meg was taking everything seriously.

As if they were really being married, not forced into a lie by Zachariah and Azazel in order to take over the ADA.

"But, you just…don't seem like the type-" Castiel tried to explain, but Meg's eyes snapped around to glare at him.

"Hey! Every girl wants to wear a fancy dress and have people tell her how pretty she is. Don't give me that look-!"

"Meg, I'm not arguing, I just-"

The sound of muffled shouting came from just outside his office. They both turned at the same time, then looked at each other.

"What now…?" Castiel moaned, closing his eyes.

…

Alfie was humming quietly to himself as he typed away on his keyboard. Next to him, Naomi sat at her own desk, reluctantly handing an employment termination file for the office closures file to Michael.

"This feels so wrong," Naomi muttered as Michael took the files with a frown.

"To be expected, really," he replied grimly. "Castiel wasn't trained to lead a company. This is what happens when unqualified people are put in charge. I can't imagine what Theodore was thinking, passing me over." His face darkened as he asked, "He didn't happen to mention anything to you, did he? About why he wanted his sons to take over during his absence?"

Naomi didn't flinch under Michael's sharp eyes. "I'm sure he had his reasons."

"Yes, well… I'm obliged to question them, giving the circumstances," He waved the file pointedly.

"I agree with Naomi, sir." Alfie chirped cheerfully, not bothering to look up from his computer. "I was surprised by the decision, as well. But, I have faith that Mr. Novak chose his sons for a good reason!"

Suddenly, his smile faded and he shivered, glancing around. "Does it seem cold in here to either of you?"

Across the floor, a low ding announced the elevator's arrival, and the doors slid open to reveal Zachariah and Uriel. They stepped out of the cart and began walking across the office, eyes falling on Alfie almost immediately.

Alfie swallowed as he watched the Zachariah's pace pick up speed, his arms and legs moving stiffly and quickly. Office workers dodged out of his way as he bulled through. One girl wasn't quite fast enough, and Zachariah clipped her as he went by, sending her stack of papers flying in the air. As the papers rained down, he strode even faster until he came to an abrupt halt in front of Alfie's desk, the entire office floor staring at him in alarm. Alfie smiled weakly up at him.

"Can I help you with something, sir?" he asked, smiling carefully.

"You…" Zachariah said, pointing his finger and squinting at the young man. "You…! Who are you?! I demand to know this instant!"

"Oh… I'm Alfie, sir," the intern replied, holding out his hand with a bright smile. "We have met, sir, several times actually, but you may not remember-"

"Don't you pull that shit with me!" Zachariah spat, slapping Alfie's hand out of the way. Alfie looked slightly wounded, rubbing his hand somewhat dejectedly. "You will tell me who you are," Zachariah continued heatedly, "and you will tell me right now!"

"What is this about, sir?" Naomi asked, standing and staring at the executive as though he'd lost his mind. Michael was openly gaping at the man's behavior. They glanced at Uriel, who was standing stone-faced a few feet away.

"It's about this little snake in the grass!" Zachariah shouted, pointing dramatically at Alfie. "This… BEAST that crawls on its belly while it plans to devour us all, that's what this is about!"

"What is going on out here?" Castiel demanded, poking his head out of his office. "Zachariah? What—"

"Wipe that smirk off of your face!" Zachariah ignored Castiel as he shrieked at Alfie.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Alfie said contritely, trying his hardest to appear somber. Somehow, he was failing at it.

"Zachariah," Michael said coolly, glancing around the packed office. "You are making quite the spectacle of yourself. Perhaps you should return to your office."

"Return to my office…?" Zachariah repeated, his eyes bulging as he turned to stare at Michael. "Return to my office!" He turned his eyes back to Alfie, "I WILL RETURN TO MY OFFICE WHEN YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

"The truth about what?!" Castiel demanded, coming to stand next to Zachariah and looking quite angry at the disruption. "Say what you need to say, Zachariah, so my employees can get back to their work!"

"Oh, that's the best part! They're not really YOUR employees," Zachariah said triumphantly, staring at Castiel and pointing a dramatic finger at Alfie. "They're HIS!"

The silence that followed rang throughout the entire floor. Castiel stared at Zachariah as though he were about to claim he had wings and leap from the nearest window. Perhaps the stress of his mutiny was finally getting to him…

"Zachariah," he said placatingly, keeping his voice low and calm, "you're not making any sense."

"None of this makes sense!" Zachariah replied, seeming to agree with him. "It doesn't make sense how YOUR father would choose THIS man to take over this company! IT'S TRUE-!" he cried to his shocked audience. "He's been paying this little liar out-of-pocket to keep him off the records while he prepared him for taking over the position that YOU now hold, Castiel!" He jabbed his finger furiously in Castiel's direction.

"Wait," Michael said with a deep frown. "This doesn't make any sense. Theodore has been grooming me to take his place. Why would he want some intern—"

"Oh, he's no intern," Zachariah said, glaring accusingly at his would-be victim. "He's had his nose in everything from the start! Isn't that right, Alfie? Or should I say…" He slammed his hands on Alfie's desk, his face inches from the young man's. "…Samandriel Alford?"

"Oh, not my full name," Alfie said with a wince, waving his arms quickly. "It's such a mouthful- just Alfie, please."

"Wait, is-is all of this true? Alfie?" Castiel asked incredulously, staring down at him.

"Sir," Naomi interjected hurriedly, "Please, I should explain-"

"Of course it's true!" Zachariah snapped, cutting her off impatiently. "My men found the proof of it! He's had us all jumping through hoops this whole time! He's made us- all of us- look like fools! But no more…" He leaned forward until his nose was almost touching Alfie's. "This company will never be yours! I'll drag everyone here to Hell and back before I let that happen!"

"Well, that's unfortunate," Alfie replied eyes wide and serious, "Hell sounds like such an unpleasant place. Unfortunately, this company isn't yours, either, is it? Theodore Novak left his sons in charge, and we should all respect that." He smiled into the furious man's face.

Zachariah sputtered furiously, before spinning to face Michael and point angrily at Alfie, "Are you just going to let this- this kid take your place at Theodore Novak's side?! You've been lied to, Michael! Say something!"

Everyone waited expectantly for Michael's furious tirade, but it never happened. Michael seemed to have shorted out- blinking silently at Alfie, then Zachariah, then back at Alfie. "I-I don't believe this…"

"And you're not going to allow it, right!?" Zachariah added, glaring at Alfie with a smirk.

"…I don't see what I can do about it." Michael's voice was hollow, the words clipped.

"Wha-? But-but-! You have to STOP this madness! Take back the reigns- by force if you have to!" Zachariah shouted incredulously.

"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO!" Michael finally snapped, sneering derisively at the pale-faced Zachariah. He caught himself, glancing around the room as he straightened his back. "As… Samandriel has said, we must respect Theodore's wishes." His voice was sharp with disapproval, but he forced a tight-lipped smile in Alfie's direction. He looked like he would say something else, but chose instead to turn and march stiffly through the gathered crowd towards his corner office.

This will not stand!" Zachariah hissed, wild eyes returning from Michael's retreating form to pierce Alfie's. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed back toward the elevator doors, grabbing a gaping woman's clipboard along the way and throwing it across the room. Uriel moved with him, like a huge, silent shadow. The entire office watched as Zachariah pressed the button to go down, then stood and waited. After several long, awkwardly silent moments, the doors finally slid open and the two men stepped inside, pressing the button before turning and glaring lividly toward Alfie as the doors slowly closed in front of his seething form.

Castiel whirled to face Alfie and Naomi. "What in the hell is happening…? This…Is this some sort of joke?"

"You weren't supposed to find out this way…" Alfie said with a tinge of regret.

"I don't believe it," Castiel rasped.

"Sir," Naomi spoke gently, meeting his eye, "he's telling the truth. Alfie was never here as an intern or secretary. You father brought him in to be his successor. I'm sorry that you have been mislead. You father… he asked us to keep Alfie's role here a secret." She sighed as she addressed the stunned audience of over forty employees. "I understand everyone is very shocked. Please understand, this doesn't change anything. Alfie is not acting as the Head of the ADA- Castiel Novak is. Please keep that in mind. Now, return to your work. Quickly now!" She added, as the crowd continued staring at Alfie like they had never seen him before.

"I don't understand," said Castiel stated quietly, turning to Alfie. "If you were supposed to be the head of the ADA, then why was Gabriel picked for it? Why was I?"

Alfie gave him an understanding smile, speaking quietly as the people around them slowly went back to work. "I understand this must all be a lot for you to take in. The only answer I have for you is it simply wasn't the right time. Everything happens for a reason. Your father has a plan for you. You just have to have faith in him."

Castiel frowned, wanting more specific answers, but somehow knowing he wouldn't get them.

"In all honesty, this is neither here nor there," Naomi said, cutting into his thoughts. "Right now, you have larger concerns. This is no small matter, but first and foremost, we must concentrate on the survival of this company. Right now, you are our leader. Everyone is looking to you, Castiel," she added earnestly.

"I know I am!" Alfie agreed with a wide smile. "It's been so exciting working for you! I hope every day has this much adventure and intrigue!"

Castiel stared down at him, slightly bewildered, then forced a faint smile and turned, walking back to his office with a heavy feeling of surrealism.

Meg was standing at the door, grinning at Castiel's dazed expression. Keeping her voice low, she snickered, "I agree with the kid- being around you is a non-stop thrill ride. What's next-aliens abducting people? Leprechauns? If Dorothy drops in from Oz to pay you a visit, I swear your gonna have to find a new chick to fake-marry, cause I gotta draw the line somewhere."

"…shut up." Castiel pleaded, stepping past her into his office.

…-^o^-…

Dean awoke groggy and in a strange bed. He shifted slowly, feeling the uncomfortable rustle of his well-worn clothes as they scraped against him. He sat up, head reeling as his eyes adjusted to the darkened room around him.

He rolled out of the bed and stumbled to the closest window, pulling against the curtains, and found himself gaping wide-eyed at brightly lit skyscrapers against a night sky. The darkness of the glittering ocean peeked out from between several buildings on the right. A glance down sent his stomach flipping. He was up high. Like, higher than even the ADA building in Lawrence, high.

He pulled away, stunned, and scanned the room again. It was cast in shadow, but definitely unfamiliar.

He groped for an explanation. The last thing he remembered was being home, in Lawrence. In the living room of the house. And they were talking about rescuing Cas and planes-

Planes.

And now he was in a room on something like the millionth floor of a building surrounded by other huge buildings, with the ocean only a few blocks away.

"SAMMY!" Dean roared crossing the room and throwing open one of the doors.

Which turned out to be a bathroom.

Fortunately, after a series of bumps and muffled shouts from the direction of a separate door nearby, Sam's unmistakable mountain of a form burst into the room. Behind him, lights were coming on, making Dean blink and cover his burning eyes.

"What the fuck, Sam! Where are we?" Dean demanded, his voice cracking drily.

"Hey, yeah, right, so, um, we're, uh," Sam sputtered slurrily, as if he had just woken up as well. "We're in San Diego. We, uh, we made it," he finished lamely, trying to sound cheerful.

In the new light, Dean was able to begin to make out his brother's appearance. Sam was dressed down, as if for bed. Behind him, Jess appeared in a pair of soft-looking pajamas.

"Oh, good! You finally woke up," she said tiredly. "Um, but it's like, late, and the time change was rough, so…" She finished with a yawn, patting Sam on the arm.

Dean stared at them both, hearing more familiar voices from beyond them and the door. "Dude- I can't- WHAT?!"

"Alright, don't freak out, Dean," Sam warned, wincing as he explained quickly. "But, mom kinda got you with a tranq dart and we smuggled your body here on a plane."

It took Dean several moments for his fuzzy brain to process the statement. "…mom tranq'ed me?!" he asked weakly, eyes almost child-like as he stared at his brother, as if pleading for a sudden denial or laugh to prove it was a joke.

"Is that Dean-o? He finally woke the hell up?" Gabriel's cheerful voice asked from somewhere behind Sam.

"Holy…shit…" Dean croaked.

But Sam just nodded apologetically at his brother. "Yeah. Sorry dude. But, uh, bright side? We're here. And we're officially booked to crash the big engagement party as the band, so, uh, it's not too bad, right? I mean, you'll be able to see Castiel again soon."

Dean weighed the feeling of betrayal and horror against practicality for a few moments, hands even gliding over his body as if making sure that he was still actually in one piece after flying halfway across the country. He finally looked back up at his brother. "Yeah, I guess it-it worked." He winced as he stretched his muscles carefully, then asked, "Fuck. Why do I feel so damn sore?"

Sam shifted awkwardly and Jess made a strange noise in her throat. It sounded to Dean like a choked-back snort. He frowned at her suspiciously, before turning to Sam.

"Um, Gabriel and Castiel's friend, Balthazar? He, uh, might have accidentally dropped you once or twice." Sam supplied. "I don't think you're his favorite person right now."

Dean scowled, "What? Why?!"

"Uh, right. So, I asked Gabriel about that," Sam struggled for the right words, "So, you remember how you punched Castiel's ex? A guy named Dick…"

…-^o^-…

Balthazar arrived outside Dick's door promptly at midnight- pillow tucked under his arm- and knocked lightly. The hallway was empty, the other executives presumably sleeping.

There was no answer.

He knocked again and waited.

The door remained closed.

He rapped on the wood a bit louder.

The door remained firmly shut. There was no sound from inside.

It could mean several things.

Perhaps Dick had meant it when he said he would be asleep.

Or, perhaps he had stayed late in his office upstairs to avoid their encounter.

Or, just maybe…

Balthazar stared at the door, frowning for several moments, before leaning forward.

His voice was barely a whisper, impossible to hear unless someone were standing directly on the other side of the door.

"You know, Dickie, I'm not immune to nerves or self-doubt. I can't wait forever for you to come around. I've already said my piece. The rest is on you."

He stepped back slowly, watching the door and listening closely for any sign of life on the other side.

It remained determinedly closed.

Balthazar sighed to himself, turning away.

The door opened with a small click.

His shoulders sagged with relief. "Dickie, you shameless tease…" he grinned, slipping inside.

There was muffled 'shut up', then the door shut behind him, the sound echoing in the still silence of the empty hallway.


	38. Finale Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God- are we here!? Did we actually make it to the Finale?! Whoot whoot! Okay- so the finale is a two-parter and LONG. I hope you all enjoy!

The hotel ballroom where the engagement party was booked was massive. It had no less than EIGHT chandeliers, plus an intimidating staircase for guests to regally descend when they entered.

Dean almost dropped his guitar case as their group was guided into the cavernous room by the hotel hosts. The operations team and manager were all speaking to them, but Dean was preoccupied with the onset of a paralyzing nervous breakdown.

This was Cas's world. Skyscrapers and ritzy hotels and- holy shit!- is that a ten-foot Swan ice sculpture?!

Dean's mind was reeling from it all. The sheer size of the room was making him dizzy. Soon, this room would be packed with over five hundred bodies, all of whom probably made at least ten times Dean's annual salary.

He'd never felt so insignificant before. So far out of Cas's league.

That fucker, Dick, had hinted at it. Warned him even. But how could Dean have possibly anticipated… Dean choked on his own intake of breath. Dear god-!

"CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!" Ash shrieked giddily, throwing his arms up as he ran across the room for a closer inspection, earning him scathing looks of condescension from the hotel staff.

Yeah, it was those kinds of stares that Dean dreaded. Looks that clearly said, 'You don't belong here. You're not one of OUR kind. Not one of Castiel Novak's kind. If you could be so kind as to not touch anything- thank you ever so much.'

Dean grimaced, for the first time ever feeling embarrassed by his friends, and even himself. He had the urge to wipe the imagined grease stains off his sweating hands.

He didn't belong here.

His chest tightened painfully.

As the group set up their equipment on the small stage that was provided, Dean's nerves only got worse. By the time the manager cued the staff to begin allowing the guests in at seven o'clock sharp, Dean wasn't sure he could manage to sing through his defiantly-closed throat. His pulse was thrumming wildly, and he was sweating uncontrollably, praying the sweat wouldn't show through his heavy black suit.

The group donned their pseudo-disguises, pulling on black fedoras and thick sunglasses.

Beforehand, the 'Blues-Brothers-esque' costumes had seemed awesome. Now, Dean felt like the cheap suits only contrasted even more with those of the hotel staff and guests. They looked like douchebags on tight budgets, but Dean forced himself to suck it up. Either they wore the outfits or they risked getting busted.

Dean's mounting terror was interrupted by his brother, standing nearby. "Don't be nervous," Sam was saying anxiously to Jess. "Just ignore the crowd. Dean and I will handle almost everything. All you have to do is background chorus, okay?" Sam failed to notice that she seemed far calmer than her boyfriend at the moment. She smiled brightly and sent Sam a steady thumbs up just as Benny began the drum intro.

They took their positions. Dean stood on shaky legs, eyes glued to the stairs, where the first immaculately dressed people were gliding excitedly into the room. Jewelry glittered blindingly bright from necks and cuffs.

He waited breathlessly for the first sign of dark, mussed hair and bright blue eyes.

He was so focused on the ballroom entrance that he completely missed the first lines of their song. Jess's cool and sultry voice startled him out of his daze.

'Sweet dreams are made of these

Who am I to disagree'

Dean glanced guiltily over in time to catch her wide-eyed stare as she faltered slightly at the unexpected solo, beginning to trail off. He could practically feel Sam's heated glare boring into his back. Shit.

He shook himself once, forcing his mind into the present, and jumped in to join her.

'Travel the world and the seven seas

Everybody's looking for something'

To his surprise, Jess's harmonizing was perfectly in sync with his voice and the music. A casual glance at the slowly forming crowd showed that the slight hiccup went over just as well as if it had been rehearsed. No one was even watching them, more interested in mingling with the rest of the first arrivals.

Dean used the next break in the song to shoot Jess a quick wink, which she kindly returned.

Who knew it? Dean thought, impressed. Sam actually found a chick who isn't tone-deaf. That'a'boy.

Dean grinned to himself, letting the haunting intensity of the music seep into him and calm his racing heart.

He returned his eyes eagerly to the top of the staircase, searching for the first glimpse of Cas. A slow building hunger was creeping through him; a desperation to see Cas and have Cas see him. To finally be in the same room, sharing the same space again. To finally release the flood of feelings and words that had been building up since Cas's sudden departure.

Yeah, he was going to blow Cas away tonight.

…-^o^-…

"Stop freaking out, angel. People are gonna get suspicious."

Meg's drawled warning wrenched Castiel away from scoping out the exits enviously. He glanced down and realized that he was clenching his lapels tightly, wrinkling the expensive fabric. He released them, hands tremoring as he shook them out to restore feeling.

He took a deep breath and turned to her. "How are you able to look so relaxed? I shouldn't be the only one worried about acting out a lie in front of hundreds of people."

It was true. Meg looked the epitome of calm and collected. She was wearing a deep-blue silk dress, one arm wrapped in an elegant long sleeve, the other bare. The cut accentuated her curves nicely, and the color… the color was a perfect match for Castiel's eyes. And his tie, for that matter.

"I'm guessing Dick assisted with your wardrobe choices this evening?" Castiel asked wryly.

"Yeah, and snapped and snarled the entire damn time," she huffed. "I half-expected him to force me into something neon with frills. Honestly, it's a good thing he prioritizes his job and reputation over his hate for your future wife. I was waiting for him to throw a hissy-fit and rant about how I'll never be as good for you as he was." She bubbled with low laughter at the memory.

Castiel gave her a small smile. "Well, thank you for dealing with it gracefully. Dick really isn't a bad guy, he just… has some difficult personality flaws."

They finally stood at the double doors leading into the ballroom and Castiel's breath hitched.

Meg eyed him with a frown. "You know, if you're freaking out about this little party, I don't know how you'll survive the actual marriage ceremony on Saturday."

"It's-it's fine. Really," he insisted, frowning at her smirk. "I'm just not very good, uh, socially." He straightened up, lifting his chin and relaxing as best he could. His arm reached out, slipping around Meg's and joining them, for all appearances, like a happy couple.

"Ready?" he whispered tensely, sucking in a deep breath.

"Set-Go!" Meg shot back with a grin, abruptly yanking him forward and into the vast openness of the ballroom. Castiel's arm tightened on hers at the surprise, but he choked on a genuine chuckle at her enthusiasm.

They stepped out onto the top of the stairwell-

-and into the sight of hundreds of eager stares.

Whether or not it was part of some pre-determined plan, Castiel was vaguely aware of the music abruptly stuttering, then cutting off completely from the direction of the stage. It left a gaping void of sound that was accented by the sudden hush of the gathered crowd.

A small tug from Meg started them slowly descending the large expanse of stairs under the scrutiny of everyone watching from below.

As soon as their feet landed on the first step down, they were bombarded by the sudden roar of clapping and cheers. It echoed loudly, almost deafening them as the continued their descent.

Below, at the foot of the stairs, Castiel noticed the ADA and CPOA teams, waiting to be the first to welcome them.

Zachariah's smug smile and beady eyes met Castiel's briefly. Just seeing the man standing there, gloating, was like a punch in the gut. Castiel forced his legs to continue their steady movement.

Azazel was there, as well, sporting his creepy, lilted smile. Castiel took a short moment to celebrate Bela's conspicuous absence.

It looked like nearly all the ADA Executives had made it, too. Their faces grinned up at him, including those who Castiel knew to be supporting Zachariah and his nefarious plans.

Piranhas… Castiel's mind suddenly supplied.

Also present at the bottom of the long staircase were Dick, Balthazar, Alfie, Charlie, and Naomi. They were watching him with barely-concealed frowns.

Castiel forced himself to smile brighter, hoping it didn't look like a grimace. They couldn't ruin this. It had to appear legit, or else…

At that moment, as he was half-way down the large stairs, the band started back up in the distance.

Castiel breathed a deep sigh of relief that the 'grand entrance' managed to go off smoothly. They just needed to reach the bottom and the rest of the evening would be light small-talk about the marriage and honey moon plans.

This was easy.

Completely do-able.

His breathing finally evened out as the beat of the music set a slow pace.

'Please, baby, can't you see my mind's a burnin' Hell'

His breath caught in his throat as an all-to-familiar voice filled the air and struck him like a bolt from the blue.

I've got razors a rippin' and tearin' and strippin'

My heart apart as well'

Castiel's body locked up so suddenly that Meg was jerked backwards mid-step, nearly loosing her footing and sliding the rest of the way down. She clutched his arm to regain her balance.

He froze there, his wide-eyes still locked below on the group waiting at the bottom of the stairs, but his mind was racing violently, latched on to the raspy voice that seemed to be singing directly to him.

'Tonight you told me that you ache for something new

That some other woman is lookin' like something

That might be good for you'

He had to look. It was an inescapable gravitational force pulling his eyes towards the small stage.

'Go on and hold her till the screamin' is gone

Go on, believe her when she tells you nothin's wrong'

The figure at the center of the stage dipped his dark sunglasses down, and even from across the enormous room packed full of bodies, Castiel caught the flash of green.

Dean.

A feminine voice joined in, from a blonde-haired woman next to him, assisting with the high notes. Their intermingled voices contrasted perfectly together, making Dean's seem to stand out more, and drag deeply.

'But I'm the only one who'd walk across the fire for you!

And I'm the only one who'll drown in my desire for you!'

"Castiel?" Meg's worried voice jarred him from his stupor. "What's up?"

Castiel turned to her, dazed and blinking as Dean's voice continued to wash over him, luring him back into his awed, dream-like state.

'It's only fear that makes you run

The demons that you're hiding from'

"Castiel!" A low hiss and sharp yank from Meg jolted Castiel back into reality.

The very REAL reality. The one filled with death-threats and balding villains bent on world domination and- HOLY SHIT DEAN IS HERE! HE'S HERE!

Castiel's feverish brain suddenly flipped a switch, his focus careening back to the very confused faces staring up at him. Some were beginning to stretch their necks, following Castiel's eyes to look over the crowd towards the stage.

Zachariah's dark eyes shifted in Dean's direction, as well, and Castiel reacted lightening-fast.

He gave his biggest, widest smile and gestured emphatically as he called out in explanation, "I LOVE this song! One of my favorites!" He beamed down at the crowd, who seemed temporarily stunned by his pronouncement. After only a brief pause, he watched their faces break into understanding smiles and laughing nods. To Castiel's ever-lasting relief, everyone seemed to relax.

He flashed a quick smile at the frowning Meg beside him, before urging her forward again more quickly.

He kept the smile planted on his face, but his mind was in total chaos.

…-^o^-…

After waiting impatiently for almost thirty minutes after Castiel's appearance, Dean finally finished his latest song and turned to his brother with a nod. Sam returned the nod and picked up the intro for the next song as Dean subtly exited the stage.

God, he could barely wait another second. Just seeing Cas from a hundred yards away was enough to send jolts of shock and anticipation coursing through his body.

He needed to see him- touch him- right now.

Dean made straight for the A/V room behind the stage. As he entered, Ash looked up from his seat on a comfortable-looking couch and gave him an understanding grin as he clasped his hands together, rubbing them with excitement.

"Alright, Romeo! Go-time, huh?"

"Hells to the fuck yes!" Dean practically crowed as he bent down to Lucifer's carrier resting beside the couch. The kitten made to hop out as soon as the lid was lifted, eager for freedom. Dean caught him fast, eyes narrowing as he lifted the small animal for closer inspection.

"The hell-?" He ran a hand over the fancy-looking miniature white collar and black bow tie.

"Yeah, classy, right? Gabriel didn't want him to look out of place. Personally, I agree. He's totally rocking the Bruce Wayne vibe, dude."

Dean had to admit, the overall look was nothing short of fucking adorable. Combined with the silky black fur, it almost looked like Lu was sporting a full tuxedo.

Dean rolled his eyes, conceding, "Yeah, okay. Whatever. Is that weirdo with the accent ready?" He fumbled to snap a matching diamond studded leash (seriously? Were those real?) onto the collar while Lu twisted impatiently in his arms.

"Yep. Just waiting for the cue. We'll give you some time to sneak safely into the room first before we send Castiel in after you."

Dean sucked in a deep, nervous breath. "Right. Alright. Yeah. Let's do it." He patted the front pocket of his pants, feeling the rumpled love letter crinkle.

"You got this buddy!" Ash thumped the back of Dean's suit encouragingly, "Remember, he's probably freaked that you're here, so ease him into it. We'll keep the bald creep and security troll out of your way."

"Thanks, Ash." Dean took one more steadying breath, shifting Lucifer to tuck him under his arm. "I'm ready."

…-^o^-…

It took every ounce of self-control that Castiel possessed to keep his eyes away from the stage.

He couldn't do anything about his mind wandering in that direction, however.

"Babe, he asked you a question." Meg's sharp nails dug into Castiel's arm for the twentieth time in the last thirty minutes, pulling his attention back to the many faces watching him with mild concern.

"Uh, right. I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Zachariah laughed loudly from beside him in apology to the couples standing beside them. Castiel didn't miss the sharp warning in his glance.

"I think our Mr. Novak is overwhelmed by all the attention. I'm sure he'd like nothing more than to be spending some alone time with his bride-to-be."

This earned an understanding chuckle from the group of strangers. Castiel forced a small smile, but his mind was already drifting back to Dean's rough voice as it crested, then faded out. After a few seconds, another voice sounded from the stage. Castiel recognized it as Sam taking the lead. He had to keep his eyes firmly locked on Dick's slightly off-kilter bow tie across from him to avoid craning to catch a glimpse of Dean and reassure himself that he was still there.

Still real.

That this wasn't some desperate construct of his imagination trying to insert Dean into the nightmare of his predicament.

How was Dean here? And why?

Those kind of questions were pointless to ask when your brother was Gabriel, though. There was no doubt that his brother was involved somehow. This practically reeked of the trickster.

Somehow, Gabriel managed to get Dean to come to San Diego. Not only that, but he knowingly put Dean directly into harm's way. What if Dean tried to talk to him in front of Zachariah? What if he mentioned their time in Lawrence? Had Gabriel told Dean about the danger of being near him? If Zachariah recognized Dean or suspected anything, then…

The group who had been chatting one-sidedly with Castiel had finally taken the hint and moved awkwardly away to meet with other more social party-goers. Zachariah silently met Castiel's gaze and held it for several moments, his smile never faltering despite his eyes taking on a sharp glint. The message was received. Castiel blinked away thoughts of Dean and tried yet again to focus on what was happening in his immediate area.

Most of his ADA group were still hovering around him in a barely-concealed effort to shield him from Zachariah. They seemed poised to intercept the usurper in the event that he…?

Well, Castiel wasn't too sure what they thought Zachariah would do to him in a crowded ballroom in front of hundreds of witnesses. It reminded him of frontier caravans, continuously circling to defend against outside attacks.

Their behavior made one thing painfully clear: they knew that Dean was here.

How much they were each involved, he couldn't be sure. But, as he watched them casting surreptitious looks at each other, silently communicating between themselves, Castiel grew more certain that this was a planned set-up. Only Dick seemed unaware of the source of everyone's discomfort. He was frowning at the others, and had tried in vain several times to send them away to 'mingle-for god's sake- and stop crowding Castiel'.

They ignored Dick, which only made him more confused. Worse, Zachariah hadn't missed the team's steadfast refusal to leave Castiel's side. He was sending them tight-lipped frowns.

Did they not realize that they were playing with fire? That Zachariah was insane? Castiel was sure he had made it clear that Dean was in danger. Why would they bring him here, into the very belly of the beast?

Across from him, Castiel saw Dick visibly stiffen, his ears turning several shades of pink.

Castiel didn't even need to turn to know that Balthazar had appeared on his other side.

He half-expected Dick to make a quick exit, but to his surprise, the man remained fixed in place, the only change being the blush that crept over every inch of his face and neck. He kept his eyes focused intently on his champagne glass.

Castiel pulled his curious eyes from Dick's strange behavior when Balthazar tapped lightly on his shoulder. The blonde man leaned in close and whispered, "He's waiting for you in room 1D, down the hall, on the left."

Castiel whole body clenched, earning him another confused frown from Meg. His eyes immediately searched for Zachariah, who was being distracted by… a very drunk Charlie?

She was hanging unsteadily on the red-faced man's arm and- dear God- rubbing his bald patch. Zachariah seemed completely horrified by the unwanted attention, trying to wrench himself from her without making a spectacle- unsuccessfully, it seemed.

"Go. Now," Balthazar hissed, just as Naomi and Alfie also surrounded Zachariah, making a scene of apologizing for Charlie as the young woman giggled and wrapped herself tighter around the furious man.

Not sure what else he could possibly do, he took the opportunity to slip away. Meg frowned after him, but he sent her a short head shake, warning her against following him. She cocked her eyebrow, but didn't leave her place.

The stunt with Zachariah must have escalated, because when he climbed the stairs, Uriel was rushing past him. It seemed everyone's attention was pulled in the direction of Charlie's slurred shouts. "C'mon Professor Xavier! I'll be your Phoenix f'rever!"

Castiel made it out of the ballroom door, apparently unnoticed.

…-^o^-…

It only took the first minute of silence standing in the darkness of the smaller, empty ballroom for Dean to become a nervous wreck.

Lucifer was trying desperately to free himself from his arms and explore the shadowed space around them. Dean held tight, more for his frayed nerves than anything else. He tried to keep his hat away from the cat's claws in the struggle. His sunglasses were tucked away in his breast pocket.

When the main door to the room finally cracked open and Castiel's lithe shadowed-frame slipped inside, Dean's heart almost pounded out of his chest.

As the door shut, the bright light cut out as well, leaving both men to blink in the sudden darkness as their eyes adjusted.

"…Dean?" The low, familiar rumble of Cas's voice was like a soothing hug in the chill of the room.

"Hey, Cas," he muttered quietly, breathing out the familiar greeting.

There was silence for a few moments. Dean knew he should break it, start in on the long spiel he had been planning, but he was paralyzed.

Castiel was here.

Barely fifteen feet away.

So close after what felt like an eternity apart.

Dean's eyes were adjusting quickly to the lights glowing from the skyscrapers cast against the dark night outside the floor-to-ceiling windows all along the far wall. He could finally see the man's wide eyes against his pale face, staring in his direction with an intensity that made Dean's toes curl in anticipation.

He watched as Castiel's brows came together in a deep frown. "What…what are you holding-?"

Dean realized that he must have noticed the struggling, dark bundle in his arms. "Oh! Uh, well…" Before he could think better of it, Dean moved forward, closing the distance between them, and lifted Lucifer up, holding the cat in front of him like an peace offering. The kitten made an impatient chirping sound, tiny rabbit-like hind legs gleaming in the faint light as they dangled beneath him.

Castiel made a strangled sound that sent butterflies fluttering in Dean's stomach. "L-Lucifer…?!"

Dean felt a small tug as Lu was quickly pulled from his hands. Castiel tucked the mewling kitten to his chest, ducking his dark head down to bury his face into the warm fur. "Lu Lu…" he breathed quietly into the kitten's neck.

The violent pounding of Dean's heart returned with a vengeance as he stared at Castiel. The kitten must have recognized him, because it was mewling and nipping with excitement as Castiel ruffled its ears lovingly.

And, because Dean was the master of piss-poor timing, that was the exact moment when his mouth finally opened and he started pouring out everything.

"Cas, the baby's not mine. I mean, I knew it wasn't, like, from the very beginning, but, you know, I thought that I… I kind of panicked, 'cuz, you know, Lisa… Me and her, I always thought-" Dean snapped his mouth shut as Castiel's owl-like eyes lifted and locked onto his.

Not the best start. He cursed himself under his breath, forcing his body back several paces to give Castiel some space. He took a breath, and started again.

"What I'm trying to say, is that I'm sorry."

Castile blinked, still seemingly frozen as he watched Dean shift uncomfortably. Lucifer stretched a paw up on Castiel's chest, looking up at him intently and trying to head bump his chin.

"I-I should never have gotten drunk and dropped that on you," he continued. "I shouldn't have run you off like that. I-I never wanted you to leave, Cas.…"

"…Dean," Castiel began tightly, his voice cracking.

"Listen, I know- about, well, everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. All the crazy shit that's going on. I know about the blackmail photos-" Dean's voice almost failed him as Castiel inhaled a gasp, but he pushed forward, trying to get everything out. "And about the missing money, and the crazy bald dude trying to force you into this stupid marriage to get at your dad's company-"

"Dean…" Castiel cut his rambling short. Dean shut his mouth and waited. It was apparently Castiel's turn to shift nervously as he searched for words. "If- if you know about…all of that," He finally looked directly at Dean, the glare of the lights outside catching his sad eyes. "Why did you come here?"

There was an almost pleading note to the question. It made Dean's chest tighten painfully. Castiel was scared. The realization smacked him hard.

"Cas…" Dean made a move toward him, but Castiel flinched and backed away, eyes watching him like a spooked animal. Dean took the hint and stepped back, dropping his raised hand. "Cas, I know your text said to back off, but I want to tell you, in person…" He choked on the words.

"Text?" Castiel asked in confusion, interrupting Dean's fumbling explanation.

"Yeah, from a few days ago. I mean, I didn't know about all this at the time, but-"

"Dean," Castiel cut him off, voice low, "I haven't sent you any texts."

"…huh?"

"I haven't texted you," Castiel repeated slowly, his brow scrunching up. He seemed to be growing more upset. "When did you get a text from me?"

"It was, uh, around my lunch break on Tuesday. After I called and left you the voicemail…?"

Castiel hissed under his breath. "Damn that-!" Castiel cursed, head dropping as he shook it. "Dean," Castiel whispered, "I'm sorry. That text wasn't from me. I think it was probably Zachariah or Bela or someone. I was doing a running event around that time." Castiel cursed again, then asked, "What did it say?"

Dean shifted, the beginnings of hope growing, "Uh, it pretty much told me to back off 'cuz you have someone else you like."

"Dean-" Castiel was shaking his head.

"Listen Cas, forget the text. I-I already know about this whole fuck-fest. Please just listen." His hand fumbled hurriedly at his pocket, pulling the worn scrap of paper out as he sputtered, "I, uh, I actually wrote you a, um, well, it's a-a…" The words were turning to mush in his mouth as he tried to explain. He knew his face was red, and he prayed that it wasn't noticeable in the dim light. A nervous glance at Castiel revealed the man's eyes were darting from Dean's hands, to his face with something close to terror.

Shit.

"I just…" He waved the paper in front of him, his face on fire. "It's-it's a… love letter," he mumbled, finally meeting Castiel's eyes.

He wasn't sure what reaction to expect.

In his mind, he had been hoping for Castiel to maybe gasp in pleasant surprise at hearing that Dean had written him a love letter.

Maybe there'd be a sappy smile.

Maybe even a sudden sex-attack, you know, in his more fantastical scenarios of how it would play out.

He hadn't expected Castiel to flinch violently and drop Lucifer, who darted into the shadows immediately. Or for his face to change into a mask of horror. Or for him to back up until he hit the wall, shaking his head helplessly.

Nope. That was not part of the plan. At all.

Castiel's voice was ragged as he gasped, "D-Dean… I-I…" Castiel raised his hands in front of him, as if he was trying to slow everything down. "Dean you CAN'T be here. You can't." He gestured at the piece of paper Dean was clutching tightly. "You can't do this. Not-not right now…" His voice was pitiful and broken, and his eyes were locked onto the paper, like it was a knife pointed at his heart.

Dean's brain was suddenly numb. "Wh-what…?" Castiel just continued shaking his head, and Dean watched the small movement with growing dread. "Holy shit, Cas, it's- it's a love letter. To you." The words fell from his mouth limply. He held the letter up higher, as if presenting it as proof. Castiel's eyes followed the movement. He looked like he was about to speak again, so Dean rushed on quickly, "Just- hey! Just let me read it, okay? Just-I'll read it first, then, uh, then we can talk about it, okay? Cas? Please, Cas?" He held the letter up in front of him before Castiel could argue, clearing his tight throat to begin reading.

And realized belatedly that he couldn't make out the words in the darkness. The gray blurs of the letters stared back at him, but he couldn't read a single one of them.

His head snapped up, eyes locking on Castiel. "I just… need some light…"

"Dean, please," Castiel whispered quietly. "Leave. Go back to Lawrence, or maybe somewhere else. Someplace safe. It's too dangerous for you here. Please. I'm handling it, okay? I have a plan-"

"We've got a plan, too!" Dean finally found his voice, latching onto Castiel's words. "We're going to expose that Zachariah dude and all of the people helping him. Your brother's helping us. Ash figures he can hack the company's computer system. We're going to find the money and return it all, so-"

"Hack the-?!" Castiel choked. "Dean, that's- that's insane! You can't just… If they find out that you are here-! That you're involved-!" Castiel seemed to have finally lost his patience, his voice becoming ragged with anger. "No! No- I'm not letting you do that. I already have a plan. Meg is helping me. We're going to trick them into believing that the marriage plan worked, then-"

"Oh, HELL NO. Fuck that-!" Dean interrupted, his own patience snapping. "You seriously think I'm just going to sit back while you- you 'fake-marry' some crazy chick to save a company? Not gonna happen, Cas!" Dean practically growled the words, his own anger flaring up.

Castiel's back straightened, his darkened gaze becoming sharp and dangerous. "You can't tell me who to marry, Dean."

"The fuck I can't! What about us?!"

"There is no 'US'!"

Dean drew up short, stunned. Castiel also seemed surprised by the harsh bite of his own words. His face softened, and he moved forward, like he wanted to take the angry statement back.

The door behind him swung open, bathing the room in blinding light from the hallway. "Castiel-?"

Dean dove for the nearest cover.

…-^o^-…

"Someone get this heathen away from me!" Zachariah's bellowing shout echoed in the high ceiling of the ball room, drawing even more attention to the scene.

"I'm so sorry, sir," Naomi was apologizing. The older woman leaned down close to Charlie, gently pulling at her arms. "Time to let go, Charlie."

Getting the hint, Charlie released him, smiling drunkenly up at him. "M'kay- m'kay! Sheesh! Sorry," she slurred, grinning up at Zachariah, "You looked like someone I know. Call me, chrome-dome." She added an extravagant wink, just for good measure.

Naomi guided her away as Zachariah straightened his jacket, looking affronted and humiliated. Charlie looked up at her once they were a safe distance away. "Did he get out?"

"Without a hitch," Naomi muttered, then turned to look closer at Charlie. "Why do I get the feeling you've done that before, Ms. Bradbury?"

"I may or may not have made a few drunken confessions of love in my day," Charlie said slyly. "Now we wait and see what happens?"

"Yes," Naomi said tensely. "If he takes too long, we'll need to go get him. His absence must not be missed. Keep an eye out." She walked away, smiling confidently and greeting people as she went. Charlie was left standing with Alfie, who was humming cheerfully to himself along with the music.

She eyed him thoughtfully, then whispered, "So, I'm guessing no one's leaked your super-secret-squirrel identity outside the ADA yet?"

Alfie didn't turn, but bent towards her a little and returned, "I don't think so. And that's a huge relief, Ms. Bradbury. Not to state the obvious, but I'm not so great with people yet. Teddy used always tell me, 'Son, you've got a face made for the radio and the social skills of a skunk with it's head stuck in bean can'."

Charlie gaped blankly at him.

"Uh, he always said it affectionately, I should probably add." Alfie continued smiling at Charlie obliviously, "You haven't had the opportunity to meet him, but trust me- he had a great sense of humor. Though, I don't think Michael ever thought so.… "

Charlie just nodded, because, really, what do you say to that? In an effort to steer the weird conversation out of the uncomfortable depths of 'Alfie-land', she asked, "Do I really have to pretend to like all these rich shmucks?" She looked around the room dully. It was then she noticed the people around her beginning to stare up at the grand staircase in awe, and she resisted rolling her eyes before turning and following their stares.

Her jaw dropped.

A stunning woman stood at the top of the stairwell, putting all the elegantly-dressed women around her to shame. Her glossy brown hair was pinned neatly to the back of her head, with stray curls hanging down around her face. Her light caramel-colored skin was smooth and flawless and seemed to glisten as she moved. Her pearl-colored dress sparkled with intricate beadwork, and the bell-shaped sleeves swept loosely around her arms. Jewels that Charlie imagined could only be priceless adorned her neck and ears, and a small comb in her hair that was shaped like a tiara shone brightly, catching the light better than the chandeliers overhead.

The woman's deep brown eyes swept over the room, her presence commanding the attention of all. It took Charlie a long moment to realize that she was surrounded by four gigantic men in sharp, black suits, all of them looking around suspiciously.

Charlie's arms flailed, catching onto Alfie and clutching tightly as she hyperventilated. "She's like Arwen…" Charlie sighed dreamily, her eyes beginning to water as she refused to blink. "…or Galadriel… But way, way hotter- SO MUCH HOTTER!" Still staring, she flicked Alfie's shoulder, "Pinch me," she said to the young man as he turned to stare at her worriedly.

"OUCH!" She smacked at Alfie angrily when he complied.

"Sorry, but you did say to-"

"I know, I just- I just had to check. Holy Hermione- she's still there…" Charlie was swooning. Like, actually, legitimately swooning.

As she watched, the woman drifted gracefully down the staircase, still looking around the room. When she neared the bottom of the staircase, Naomi suddenly appeared to meet her.

"This is quite an honor! I apologize- if we had known to expect you-" Hearing the ever-stoic Naomi stuttering was surreal. The entire ballroom was now frozen in place, gawking.

The woman spoke, her gentle voice too low for Charlie to hear.

Whatever she said seemed to stun Naomi, who turned and pointed mutely, and suddenly, the woman's eyes fell on Charlie.

It seemed to Charlie that time stopped.

Whispers were fluttering over the crowd of people, but in that moment, nothing existed except for the exotic beauty across the room. It was then that she realized the woman had stepped completely down from the staircase. Charlie watched the guests parting as the woman and her four escorts walked straight towards her.

Charlie looked around in mild panic.

"I'm taken," she reminded herself breathlessly. "No one is gonna distract me from Gilda! I need to get out of here… Where's my Scottie when I need him?!" Beside her, Alfie gave her a weird look- which, really, Alfie thought she was acting strange? That's a new low…

The people in front of her were moving aside, and Charlie started to follow suit, thinking she might just be walking by.

However, the woman stopped squarely in front of her, the four men around her eyeing Charlie and every surrounding partygoer with sharp eyes.

"Nomnomgnomes88?" the woman asked in a quiet voice, brown eyes wide and hopeful, and for a moment, Charlie wanted nothing more than to hear her speak again.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, suddenly recognizing her World of Warcraft handle. "Uh, th-that's… me?" Charlie said in utter bafflement. "Who…?"

The woman smiled with genuine delight, and Charlie felt a flutter in her stomach. "I'm legitfaeriequeen86. It's so wonderful to finally meet you in person, Charlie."

Charlie felt her jaw drop. "G-GILDA?!"

The woman smiled and inclined her head. "Yes, it's me." Trying to recover her composure, Charlie stuttered, "You're- you're really here…"

Gilda nodded calmly, "It has taken a great deal of effort to find you, Charlie. May we speak… alone?" Gilda's eyes shifted to glance thoughtfully at Alfie, who was still standing at Charlie's side, smiling dumbly.

Charlie spazzed, suddenly shoving Alfie's thin body away. He stumbled, limbs flailing uselessly as he tripped into the waiting crowd. They absorbed him into their ranks with only a few gasps and grunts, their attention shifting immediately back to Charlie to Gilda.

Gilda's blinked in surprise, doe eyes wide. Charlie chuckled unsteadily, flashing her best flirty smile at the woman. "Alone? Yeah, sure. Alone is good. Let's go, be alone." She proffered her arm.

Gilda stepped forward with a beautiful blush, linking arms with her and nodded to the four men. They were escorted out of the ballroom through a side door and out into a deserted hallway, leaving the stunned crowd behind.

"A moment, if you please," Gilda said kindly to them, and the men bowed graciously to her before posting themselves at both ends of the hallway.

She moved to sit delicately on a cushioned bench nearby, indicating for Charlie to join her. Charlie practically collapsed beside the woman, legs finally giving out.

"I've been so worried about you ever since you told me your plans tot steal the photos and save your friend," Gilda said to the stunned Charlie. "When I couldn't reach you to prevent you from endangering yourself, I feared the worst and came here straightaway. It was a long journey from my homeland, but, and even harder not to take your calls once you began attempting to contact me again. But, I wasn't positive that my behavior would be acceptable. I did not wish to seem… presumptuous by coming here, but…" Gilda's beautiful face was etched with sadness and fear as she searched Charlie's eyes.

Charlie still couldn't seem to believe her ears. "Wha-? N-no! Not at all," she said absentmindedly. "I-I hope the trip wasn't, er, too long…" Charlie cursed herself for fumbling. Hermione never stuttered. Dammit, get your shit together!

"It was fine, thank you," Gilda replied, face smoothing into a gentle smile. "My jet made the trip much more tolerable."

"A-a jet?" Charlie asked, blinking. "You came in a jet?"

"Well, yes, of course," Gilda said with a chuckle. "A commercial flight from Genovia would have been intolerably long. And the security is far too lax. My father would never have permitted it."

"Your father…?" Charlie asked again, her brain not quite keeping up.

"Yes," Gilda said with a nod. "My father, the King of Genovia, long may he reign."

"LONG MAY HE REIGN!" the four men echoed in unison from further down the hallway, causing Charlie to jump in shock What the-?!

Charlie's attention was pulled back to Gilda.

"Are you… glad to see me?" Gilda asked worriedly, eyes downcast nervously.

"Glad to see you?" Charlie repeated plainly, shaking off the shock. "Glad to…? Are you KIDDING ME?! I'm thrilled to see you! I just- I mean, I had no idea that you're a… well, a freaking Princess, or something!"

"You're not disappointed, are you?" Gilda asked somewhat self-consciously.

Hysterical laughter bubbled out of Charlie. "Disappointed?! Hell's bells, Gilda! I've been imagining you from the moment we met in Brill! And let me tell you, NOTHING I imagined came close to…" She gestured at Gilda, eyeing her from head to foot. "I mean, you're just… perfect."

Gilda's smile rivaled the sun dawning on a spring morning. She reached for Charlie's hand and pulled her into a slow, sweet kiss.

Charlie's brain short-circuited.

When they finally broke, pulling only inches away from each other, Charlie mumbled dazedly, "Ya' know, at my LARP in Kansas, I'm actually a Queen, so…"

The rest of her words were lost as Gilda tugged her back in for another tender kiss.

Best.

Night.

Ever.

…-^o^-…

Castiel spun and froze, like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes burned from the sudden light.

Michael's voice came from the doorway, his silhouette dark against the bright hallway. "Castiel, there you are. What on earth are you doing in here?"

Castiel snapped his head around, fearing for Dean, but the spot where Dean had been standing was empty.

Thank God.

"Who were you talking to? I thought…?" Michael stepped into the room, sharp eyes searching the many tables and upended chairs sitting on top of them.

"W-what? Talking?" Castiel repeated dumbly.

…

Shit.

Dean tried to move deeper into the shadows of the table he was under, praying he hadn't been seen. He could still see both Castiel and the other man (their legs, at least) from his hiding position.

"I- I thought I heard another voice. Who were you talking to?" asked the man. His voice was calm, but had an edge of haughty annoyance that rubbed Dean the wrong way, especially when it was directed at Castiel like that.

Was it that bald fuck, Zachariah? Dean was hesitant to move and look, afraid to give away his position. Instead, he watched what little he could see of them as they shifted in front of the bright light of the door.

That's when he spotted Lucifer.

Crouched down low, a slightly deeper, sleek shadow in the darkness- pale, glowing eyes staring up with terrifying intensity, just a few feet from the stranger.

His butt wiggled once.

Oh, no-

Twice.

No. NO-NO-NO-!

…-^o^-…

Dick was pissed.

The conversation had been going perfectly well until Castiel's name inevitably came up.

"Castiel, though. What a surprise," remarked Metatron, with a less-than-subtle smirk at Dick, who stiffened. "I mean, I didn't realize how 'over' Mr. Roman he was. It's only been a few months, hasn't it?"

Several of the executives were gathered with some of the more prominent guests. They all turned to stare at Dick, who struggled to maintain his composure. He kept his professional smile plastered across his face, even as he thought about how he was going to get back at Metatron for bringing up the subject. Of course, it had been Metatron, all those weeks ago, that he had been bragging to when Castiel had over heard him.

"Yes, quite a sudden shift," Raphael joined in, "And we all know how proud your were to be dating the youngest Novak."

There were several barely concealed snickers from the group. Dick felt his face beginning to redden.

"Well, it's not as if Dickie had any trouble recovering from the break-up. I like to very-humbly think that he's made an improvement."

Dick froze at the sound of Balthazar's light accent. He didn't turn to look. Maybe if he ignored the comment, they would all move on to a less-mortifying topic.

"I-I'm sorry. Are you saying that you two-?" Metatron's horrified, but gleeful voice asked.

"Oh, yes. We're SO in love." An strong arm was suddenly pulling Dick side-ways, towards Balthazar's chest. "As they say, it sometimes takes a few tries to get something right."

"I don't think this conversation is appropriate for the current setting," Naomi had appeared, interrupting the conversation with a small, but firm, smile.

"No, no! I want to hear more about this!" Raphael laughed, rudely dismissing Naomi's attempt to steer the topic out of dangerous waters.

Dick's face was definitely bright red at this point. He could feel the stunned eyes on him, waiting for him to confirm the statement. He suddenly pushed away from the other man, forcing his voice out. "We-we aren't together. Stop joking."

There was a heavy silence. Dick refused to look at the other man. He kept his eyes tot he floor, praying that Balthazar would take the hint and leave. They could talk about this later. Much later. When their were no witnesses.

Balthazar apparently had other ideas.

"Oh, I apologize," His voice was deceptively jovial, but Dick heard the hard-edge behind it. "I must have misconstrued all those emphatic grunts and moans you were making last night."

The simple statement was like a slap across Dick's face. His eyes snapped up to Balthazar's blue ones, as if unable to believe that he had just said that. In front of dozens of people and even more sharp ears. They now had the undivided attention of everyone within earshot.

"Balthazar!" Naomi cut in again, clearly scandalized. "That is quite enough. Our guests do not want to hear about your private life in such detail!"

Bathazar ignored her, speaking to Dick instead, "Now, now, Dickie. Don't deny we spent a heated night in each others arms." He turned to the others and stage-whispered, "He's shy."

There was more open laughter. Dick's throat was tight with anger. He couldn't form the words to argue with the man.

"So, it's really true? You and Dick Roman?" Raphael asked Balthazar, voice laced with disbelief.

Both men answered at the same moment.

"No!"

"Yes."

Dick turned a furious glare on Balthazar, who met it with an equally unflinching smile. There was sharpness to the blue of his eyes. Dick almost shut his mouth at the look, but his embarrassment urged him on, the words pouring out, unstoppable.

"Clearly my colleague has confused a simple hook-up with some sort of romantic fantasies," Dick ground out loud enough for all to hear. "To be perfectly clear, we had a one-time liaison last night, which does not mean ANYTHING." He watched as Balthazar's smile completely dropped, and his blue eyes turned to ice. Dick didn't stop there. "Just because I spend a night with someone does not mean we are in any sort of relationship- especially in this case."

"Oh, yes?" Balthazar grinned brightly. Dick's terror mounted the wider the other man's smile became, until finally, "Tell me, Dickie, do you bottom for all your one-night-stands? Because I had the impression that was your first time."

The entire ballroom seemed to suck in a shocked gasp. Even the music stuttered to halt in the silence.

…-^o^-…

"I was, er, just thinking out loud," Castiel supplied desperately.

Michael gave him a hard look, eyes scanning the room suspiciously again.

"I'm sure I heard-"

Whatever Michael was sure he heard would be a mystery, because at that exact moment, his back arched violently backward and he let out the most horrified shout Castiel had ever heard.

"HELP! Help-get it off! GET IT OFF!" Michael spun in circles, shaking his body and flapping his arms behind him.

The sounds of voices and running feet echoed from the hallway. Castiel tried to understand what was happening as Michael slung his body against the wall with a loud THUMP! Then, he pitched forward, hands pulling at his own long strands of golden hair madly. They caught a hold of something and Castiel realized with sickening shock that it was one of Lucifer's little black legs.

"STOP!" Castiel shouted, jumping forward and tackling Michael to the ground. He reached for Michael's hand that was yanking roughly on the kitten's paw. He could feel Michael's tight grip jerking at it, and he heard Lucifer's pained cries. Castiel shouted again, "STOP MICHAEL! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!"

Not sure what else to do, and terrified by the pained sounds coming from Lucifer, Castiel pulled his free hand back and swung forward as hard as he could. His fist connected with the side of Michael's jaw.

Michael grunted, letting go of Lucifer to protect his head in anticipation of another punch.

Castiel reached out, catching hold of Lucifer's short leash and dragging himself forward to grab onto the dark, hissing shape of the kitten.

People were arriving now, shouting in alarm. Most gathered around the furious, cursing form of Michael huddled on the floor.

Castiel felt a hand on his shoulder as he began to stand with the frightened cat in his arms. He turned to see Dean's worried green eyes only inches away from his. "Holy shit! Is he okay?" he asked, alarmed. "Are you okay?"

Reacting before he could fully think, Castiel shoved Dean away quickly and mouthed, "Go! Quick!"

Dean looked hurt, but seemed to realize that he was standing in a room full of people, any of whom could be working with Zachariah. Castiel said a little louder, "Please, go!"

Someone finally found the light switch, sending bright, fluorescent light into every corner of the room. Dean pulled his pair of sunglasses from his pocket, shoving them quickly onto his face before rushing for the door where even more people were streaming inside. He turned once, pausing to look in Castiel's direction, but Castiel turned away to face Michael.

"That-that rabid animal attacked me!" Michael was shouting angrily, pointing in Castiel's direction. For a second, Castiel wasn't sure if he was referring to him or Lucifer, who was digging his little claws deep into his arms through the thick material of his suit, and spitting furiously in Michael's direction.

"I-I'm sorry, Michael. He's mine. I-I should get him back to my room at the ADA." Castiel wanted to get as far away from the now-packed ballroom as soon as possible.

Without another word, he spun on his feet and darted out of the room. Dean was already out of sight, presumably having returned to the ballroom. He prayed silently that Dean made it safely back without catching any unwanted attention. There was too much to think about all at once. Castiel hurried to the hotel lobby. The ADA headquarters was only a few blocks away from the hotel. He was fully prepared to sprint the distance with Lucifer in tow. He rubbed soothingly over the soft fur, trying to calm the tiny kitten.

As soon as Castiel turned into the lobby, he spotted Cathy McCampbell.

Their eyes met.

He searched desperately for a way to escape her as she closed in on him, crocodile smile gleaming as her cameraman trailed behind. There was no way to get around her without hopping over the plush lobby sofas.

It was a testament to his strained nerves that he considered it.

"Mr. Novak! What a wonderful coincidence!" Her eyes briefly took in Lucifer, who was clinging to Castiel's expensive suit. "What's all the commotion about? We heard shouts, but it seems the hotel staff, ahem, lost our invitations."

The camera was clearly filming, and Castiel fought the urge to tell her to get the hell out of his way. Instead, he schooled his features and replied with an air of calm. "Nothing you need to be concerned about. Now, all the excitement has upset Lu," He briefly lifted Lucifer in his arms, drawing a small frown of confusion from Cathy. "Excuse me." He made an effort to pass by her, but she blocked him.

"What a cutie! Love the outfit. Very chic! So sweet to know you're an animal lover, Mr. Novak. The viewers will be thrilled!" In his arms, Lucifer hissed warningly at her. Her smile froze at the noise, but she recovered quickly. Turning to her cameraman, she made a gesture for him to stop rolling before smiling again at Castiel. "I was actually hoping to speak to you, Mr. Novak. Off the record."

"Actually, I think-"

"Mr. Novak," she cut him off, smile fading fast, "Do you remember that little parting remark I gave you on my show last week?"

Castiel did. She had very clearly threatened him about his business ethics at the time. He gave her a short nod.

"Well, I think perhaps you should make time to follow up with me about that particular topic. Now. Just a quick five minutes!" She finished cheerfully, grabbing the arm not circled around Lucifer's unhappy form. Sharp claws swiped at her, missing her hand by inches. She recoiled with a nervous chuckle, but held tight. "Adorable," She mumbled tightly.

The cameraman stayed behind as Castiel was dragged to a far corner of the large lobby where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Alright, handsome," She began, smile dropping immediately to be replaced with a searching frown, "I pride myself on being a damn-good judge of character. I pegged you as sharp, but legit. So, I am REALLY having a tough time connecting the dots with this impromptu marriage."

She watched him closely, but Castiel kept his face as blank as possible. They stared each other down for several seconds before Cathy finally huffed a sigh, eyes scanning the lobby.

"Listen, Novak. I know we aren't best friends here. And my reputation isn't going to endear me to anyone with an annual salary over a hundred-thousand. But…" She gave him a serious look and her tone shifted minutely to something more earnest. "I want to trust you. I have a feeling that there is more to this story than true love, if you catch what I'm saying. So, I want you to know that if you need help, if you're being bullied or forced to compromise your morals and ethics, I will help you. That's my sole purpose for doing what I do. I will not allow the few good people in this business to be cowed by the bad."

There was a long pause as Cathy's sharp eyes watched Castiel as he shifted uncomfortably. Across the lobby there was some commotion. Castiel saw Dick stomping hurriedly for the exit, face a mask of barely controlled fury. Balthazar came running after him from the direction of the ballroom, looking equally as upset. His hand was raised to his nose, where bright-red blood was dripping down onto his expensive suit. He was followed closely by the worried-looking Alfie and Naomi. They all came to a rolling stop as Dick made it to the doors and ducked out of sight.

Balthazar appeared to be cursing colorfully, if the alarmed faces of the hotel staff at the front desk was anything to go by.

Castiel's attention was pulled back to Cathy as she tugged at his arm urgently and hissed. "You need to know I am serious, Novak. I'm a valuable asset. I can help, but only if you let me."

They'd been spotted, the small group moving fast towards them as soon as their eyes landed on Cathy.

"Mr. Novak," she said, tone low. "Castiel. Do you understand?"

Castiel wasn't sure what to think, but something about her offer rang true. He believed that she really would help him. It was almost incredible to imagine Cathy 'The Vampire' McCampell as an ally, but he felt as if he could trust her.

"Thank you, Cathy. I believe you." He gave her a small smile. She looked like she was about to say something else, but was cut off.

"Mrs. McCampbell, this is very unprofessional!" Naomi swooped in like an avenging angel. "If you would like to have a private meeting with the head of the ADA, I expect you to follow procedure and request it through our PR department."

Cathy ignored her, drawing a business card from her pocket and holding it out to Castiel. He took it, meeting her eyes as she gave him a knowing nod.

Then she was all smiles again, hands raised in surrender. "Wasn't that the head of your PR department I just saw booking it out of here?" Her eyes paused briefly on Balthazar's bleeding nose, before moving to Alfie, then Naomi. She raised her hands with a small laugh, at the scowl on Naomi's face, "Alright. You've caught me. I'm leaving."

"…I'll escort you," Alfie suddenly volunteered, to everyone's surprise.

"I don't think-" Naomi began, frowning in confusion.

"I'd like to," Alfie insisted, gesturing to Cathy with a smile.

She stared at him for several moments, before nodding. "Yes, please. Actually, there are a few strange rumors that I was hoping to address with you… Samandriel Alford."

If Alfie was surprised, he didn't show it. "Alfie, please." He gestured for her to walk with him.

They moved away together, leaving Balthazar, Naomi and Castiel behind, watching in confusion.

Naomi sighed wearily, the lines of her face showing more deeply than usual. "Sir, is everything alright?" Naomi followed his gaze, frowning at Cathy's back. "Michael seems very upset. He's saying there was an incident…" She looked down at the kitten in Castiel's arms.

"I'm going to need some cat supplies, Naomi." Castiel looked tiredly at her raised eyebrows. He suddenly felt too exhausted to deal with any more surprises. "And please make my excuses to everyone. I'm leaving. Have Uriel bring the car around."

…-^o^-…

When Dean returned to the ballroom, it was to find Sam and Jess performing a spirited duet of 'Don't Stop Believing'. It was almost too enthusiastic, both standing inches from one another, practically fused together.

Their adoring gazes as they stared into each other's eyes were cringe-worthy.

The crowd, however, seemed to love the display, bursting into applause at the conclusion. Sam dipped Jess into a deep kiss, and the crowd roared.

Dean pushed through the throng, making his way behind the stage. He was still shaken from his conversation with Cas.

Dean waited several minutes- and about six more songs courtesy of the dynamic duo of Sam and Jess- before growing frustrated. Cas hadn't come back into the room. Had he left? Because of Dean?

He needed more time. A chance to explain the group's plan. A chance to read his letter.

Damn- he just needed more time with Cas.

Like the rest of their lives, preferably.

And now he didn't even have Lu…

He stepped behind the small stage and typed a brief text, praying Cas would answer it and give him a chance to explain everything.

…-^o^-…

Castiel was sitting on the edge of his bed, Lucifer nestled in his lap, as he thought about everything Dean had said that evening. His cell phone was squeezed tightly in his hand. Dean had texted him nearly thirty-minutes ago, but Castiel had forced himself to ignore it.

Finally, taking a deep breath, he opened his phone and read the message.

DEAN: where'd ya go? can we talk? pls?

Castiel rubbed his eyes. Why couldn't Dean understand how serious this was? Why wouldn't he give up?

CASTIEL: No. Go back to Kansas. TONIGHT. And don't text me again. It's too dangerous.

He sat the phone down only to have it chirp almost immediately.

DEAN: cmon cas. pls lets talk.

CASTIEL: Go home Dean. I'm turning my phone off.

And he did, watching the screen flash off with a sigh. It was for the best, he tried to tell himself. He couldn't have Dean underfoot throwing his plans off. It was crazy enough that he had come all the way to San Diego with some insane rescue plan. Hacking the ADA security system? Really?

A small smile crept across Castiel's face.

What kind of idiot flew half-way across the country, straight into danger, to read a love letter, anyway….

A small flush crept up his face, remembering Dean's stuttered plea.

'...It's a love letter...'

Castiel's heart had definitely stopped beating.

A real, honest to God, love letter.

Who the hell writes love letters nowadays?

Dean-fucking-Winchester, apparently. The emotional terrorist.

Was he trying to kill Castiel?!

AND he had kept Lucifer.

Their cat.

Castiel huffed a tiny laugh at the absurdity of it all. How the hell could Dean be so perfect? It just wasn't fair.

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud rapping at his door. For a second, he worried that it was Dean.

No, Castiel rubbed his eyes, it couldn't be.

He still checked the peep hole.

It wasn't Dean.

As soon as the door opened, "You ditched me- at our ENGAGEMENT PARTY?! Are you fucking serious?!"

"Meg-"

"Don't 'Meg' me with that- that gravelly voice of yours!" she snapped, poking him in the chest. "You left me alone without a fucking 'heads up' or anything! You plannin' on pulling that kind of shit at the marriage on Saturday? 'Cause let me tell you, I will shank a motherfu-"

Castiel pulled her inside, quickly closing the door behind them.

"Dean was there," Castiel stated.

Meg's eyebrows shot up her forehead in surprise. "Wait- Dean, your straight mechanic?" Castiel nodded, "What the hell was he doing at our engagement party?" Her eyes glanced briefly down to Lucifer's struggling form in Castiel's arms. "The hell is that?"

"Lucifer," Castiel replied lowly, turning to gently toss Lucifer into the bathroom and shut the door. "And to answer your first question, Dean came to see me," Castiel sighed, dropping down heavily on the bed. "Or… I guess to 'rescue' me." Tiny scratching sounds and miserable whines came from the bathroom door.

"Rescue you?" Meg echoed, sitting down on the other end of the couch and staring at him with disbelieving eyes. "You mean he knows, too? Does nothing stay a secret around here?!"

"Apparently," Castiel said tiredly, leaning his head back. "I don't exactly know how, but they all know everything." At Meg's confused frown, he explained, "He didn't come alone. It seems a handful of them are here. His brother and some friends from Kansas. They were the band that played tonight. I'm betting this is Gabriel's doing."

"I can't even act surprised anymore. How do these crazy people find you…?" She shook her head, amazed. "You know what'll happen if they get caught," she asked quietly. "What'll happen to your mechanic…"

"I know," he replied impatiently. "I know what they might do to him. But what can I say to him? What more can I do to keep him safe? I left him. I tried to move on. Hell, I got engaged… And he still came."

Meg sighed and leaned her cheek on her hand, looking slightly wistful. "That's some powerful love, if you ask me, Angel." At Castiel's blank stare, she rolled her eyes. "You do know that he loves you, don't you? He's got to. I mean, shit. He crashed our engagement party."

"He said as much when we spoke earlier," he replied faintly.

Meg waited, but he simply stared off into space. "And your reply was…?"

Castiel mumbled incoherently.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Meg said, putting a hand behind her ear.

"I told him to go home," he repeated softly. "That he shouldn't be here. That we aren't together, anymore."

"Oh, Angel…" Meg sighed helplessly. "You're a fucking idiot."

He blinked, turning to stare at her.

"I would kill for what you have," she said, shaking her head with disappointment. "For someone to be willing to risk it all for me and my kid. Fuck- I wish I were that lucky. Listen, you tried to keep him safe, and you failed. That should be a clue- you can't. When people are that in love, they get all," she waved her hand in the air, "stupid, and you can't reason with them."

"So what do I do?" he asked helplessly, wondering when he had begun to take advice from Meg, the drug-hardened daughter of his enemy.

"Well, I guess we could find something to… preoccupy your mind?" She suddenly pushed him backwards onto the bed, crawling up his body to straddle him with mischievous smile. Castiel was too stunned to move. Instead, he lay frozen like a mouse as a snake coils around it, tightening. "Did I mention how good that suit looked on you?"

"Uh…Meg?" Castiel hesistated.

"Hmmm…?" She muttered, trailing kisses along his pale neck.

"What's… happening?" he asked weakly, realizing how dumb he sounded. It was blatantly obvious what was happening.

Meg, chuckled deeply, "We're consummating our marriage a little early. Don't worry, it'll be our little secret." Castiel had dressed down from the suit he had been wearing, left now in just an undershirt and his slacks. Meg's hands went to his belt buckle, moving with startling expertise to unfasten it while her mouth busily mapped out his jaw.

"Right…" Castiel almost choked, "Uh, Meg?"

"Yep?" She nibbled on his ear.

"I don't think this is going to… work."

Meg stopped abruptly, "…excuse me?"

"Uh…"

She pulled back to meet his eyes. "You're Bi, right? You definitely said you're Bi. I heard it. On live TV."

"I-I was bi…" Castiel stuttered, wincing at the growing glare Meg was shooting him. "But, that was- I mean, if I hadn't met Dean-"

"You CANNOT be serious right now." She rolled off of him to stand at the foot of the bed with a scowl. "Are you fucking telling me that I am about to enter into a sexless marriage!?"

"No! Meg, no!" Castiel answered hurriedly, "It's just, I need some time. I'm sure once we're together for a little longer-" He tried to explain as she began pacing angrily. "Meg, I LIKE you. A lot. If I hadn't met Dean, I really think I could be with you. It's just, I-I can't shake him, you know? Meg, please? I need you to understand."

Meg looked around the room, as if she was trying to keep herself in check. "What the fuck is the deal with this damn mechanic?!" She demanded. "He better be fucking hot as hell. If you're stone-walling me for some 'fugly' dude with a 'nice' personality, I swear to God-"

"No!" Castiel almost shouted, trying to calm the irate woman, "He's- Dean's very good-looking. I mean, that's not why-! He's got a great personality, too! He's just-" Castiel suddenly remembered the picture from the photo booth. He hopped up, holding a hand for Meg to wait. She rolled her eyes with a snarl, crossing her arms.

The picture was tucked safely in the back of his dresser, away from any snooping eyes. He took it out carefully, and handed it almost shyly to Meg.

She frowned, but took the picture.

There was a few seconds of silence, before, "Well, fuck."

"Yeah."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

"He's a mechanic? Really?"

"And sings in a band," Castiel reminded her quietly.

"Huh…"

Castiel coughed, embarrassed, then muttered, "Bow-legged, too."

"Dear God."

"Yeah."

Meg finally looked up from the picture, her face pouting. "You sure he's got a good personality, angel? Cuz, in my experience Looks and Personality don't usually come together in the same package."

"He's good with kids and apologized for kissing me before we had our first date." Castiel blushed.

"Son of a bitch," Meg spat, "At least tell me he's mediocre in the sack." Her voice was pleading.

Castiel just shook his head slowly.

Meg groaned before turning and face-planting onto the bed. "God, I hate you," She mumbled through the bedding. "So, what? I have to be abstinent until you get over this guy? How fucking long is that gonna be?"

Castiel sat down beside her, patting her back awkwardly. "I wish I knew," was all he could say.

Before Meg could speak again, they heard a loud knocking coming from the hallway. They both turned to at the noise.

"Aren't all the executives still at the party?" Meg asked.

Castiel wiped his hand across his face, and stood. "I think Dick came back earlier."

"Oh, him." Meg lifted her head to sit up on the bed with a smirk, "Yeah, I bet he came back after that British-guy called dibs on him in front of everyone."

"What?"

"Oh, yeah- you missed that, didn't you? It was right after that royal chick showed up with her body guards and stole your secretary away."

"What?!" Castiel repeated, dumbfounded.

…-^o^-…

"Dickie, you're being ridiculous! Let me in," Balthazar called as he pounded his fist on Dick's door. "I'm sorry, alright? I lost my temper. It's not the end of the world, really! You can't avoid me forever!" He waited, and, hearing nothing, pounded again. "At least have the courtesy to open the door. I know you're in there. It's quite rude to leave a man out in the cold like this."

"Please?"

"…"

"Pretty please?"

"…"

"I'll give you a blow job…"

"…"

"Right! Fine. Then I'll just have to keep someone else company tonight! Enjoy spending the night alone, Dickie. I'll be down the hall- with CASTIEL."

He waited a moment, hoping Dick would take the bait.

The door remained shut.

Balthazar stared at it, tight-lipped.

"Stubborn twit." He mumbled, turning to stomp loudly down the hall.

…-^o^-…

Castiel and Meg heard everything.

They looked at each other as the sound of footsteps approached, followed by loud knocking on the door. Castiel grimaced, shaking his head at Meg's grinning face, and got up to answer it. An irate Balthazar stood there, glaring at him, a small roll of toilet paper plugging his left nostril.

In a clear voice, Balthazar shouted, "Oh, Cassie! Take me into your strong arms and hold me tight!"

The blond man grabbed Castiel to him in a tight embrace, head turning to glance in the direction of Dick's still-shut door.

In a normal voice, Balthazar cursed. "Well, damn. Can you believe him?" the British man huffed as he walked right past Castiel. "I just want to talk to him and he can't be bothered to even say 'bugger off'."

"Now's not really a good time…" Castiel began tiredly, keeping the door open to usher Balthazar back out.

"I mean, I finally managed to bed the bastard," Balthazar continued. "You'd think he'd want to humor me at least a little bit."

"Can't imagine why he wouldn't want you around," Meg said drily, raising an eyebrow at him.

Balathazar noticed her for the first time, face darkening, "Meaning what, exactly?" Balthazar asked defensively.

Meg snorted, "Yeah, right. I was there for your little territorial performance. You might as well have pissed on the guy in front of everyone. Possessive much?"

"I am an absolute Peach." Balthazar snapped back.

Castiel sighed and closed the door, dragging his feet as he walked over and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

"You're a peach, all right," he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, don't you get cheeky with me," Balthazar warned, "Not when your little boyfriend is planning on making an enormous mess of things. Yes, I know about Dean," he said at Castiel's frown. "Not my idea, his being here. That's your brother, all the way. I just assisted because I'm such a wonderful friend. You have no place coming down on me at all when your boy toy is running amok."

"That's not his fault," Meg defended with a growl. "He didn't arrange for any of this. He was going along with OUR plan just fine. "

"Oh, don't you start on me," Balthazar snapped, turning to glare at her. "Little Devil's spawn, you are. It's your father that's one of the conductors of this whole sordid affair."

"Well, two can play at this game," Meg said with a slow smile. "How's Dick doing? You wacky lovebirds aren't on the outs, are you? Sounded to me like he's not too impressed with you. How's your nose, by the way?"

Balthazar bristled, and Castiel raised his eyes to the heavens for patience.

"Enough- both of you!"

Meg and Balthazar turned to look at him, mildly surprised by the force of his tone.

"I can't take any more arguing right now," he said tiredly. "Why are you even bothering with Dick, anyway, Balthazar? Aren't you taking this joke too far?"

"Joke?" Balthazar repeated, sounding genuinely offended. "I'll have you know, my intentions with Dickie are completely sincere."

"You like Dick Roman?" Castiel asked, turning from his place on the edge of his bed to look closely at Balthazar. "Since when?"

"Hmm, let me think. You and he began dating, what? About six or seven months ago?" Castiel nodded, frowning. "Yes, well then, I suppose I started liking him, oh, two years ago?"

Castiel blinked, stunned. "What…?"

Balthazar looked thoughtful. "Yes, that sounds about right. Cold March morning. He was newly promoted to Head of the PR Deprtment. He walked in to the board meeting to go over some statistics. I winked at him- completely threw off his presentation. He berated me magnificently in front of the entire assemblage. Took everything I had not to jump the table and ravage him right there- in front of God and everybody." He sighed wistfully, a small smirk lighting up his face. "Oh, yes, I've had my sights set on Dickie for a while now. Then, of course, your brother caught wind of his proclivities and tossed him your way. Practically put a bow on him and sent him express."

"Holy shit," Meg muttered, looking incredulously from Castiel to Balthazar, as if they were a live telenovella.

"I- Balthazar," Castiel began, "I had no idea. If I had known-"

Balthazar waved his hand dismissively, sitting forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "It wouldn't have mattered. I knew it was a long shot with him, anyway. He wouldn't give me the time of day, as it was. Didn't take me seriously. Can't imagine why."He shrugged, voice carefree, "I was sorry when it didn't work out between you two, really, I was. But, if I'm being perfectly frank, I wasn't sorry that it seemed I had this second chance with him."

"I always thought you hated him," Castiel explained in confusion. "You've always looked for ways to annoy him or make him angry."

"What can I say?" Balthazar said with another shrug and a smirk. "I've a schoolyard boy's sense of romance. I just adore ruffling his feathers. He is just too cute."

"Cute? Dick Roman?" Castiel frowned, wondering if they were talking about the same man.

"Mm-hmm," Balthazar nodded.

"Oh, shoot me now. Please."

They turned to see Meg staring at Balthazar coolly from where she was lounging at the head of the bed.

"You want your guy, and he's pushing you away," she said matter-of-factly. "You geniuses don't seem to know what to do with yourselves when that happens. Here's a hint: either move the hell on, or make a move. If you want him that badly, don't take 'no' for an answer! Stop being such a wimp about it. Stay in his face until he can't stand it, anymore, and he either kills you or kisses you. That, or find another man and stop your whining."

Balthazar blinked. "Oddly, that made some small amount of sense."

"She's surprisingly good at that," Castiel grunted.

"And you," she said, pointing at Castiel sternly. "You understand that if your bow-legged boyfriend doesn't leave- tonight- we could all be screwed, right?"

Castiel glanced at his turned-off phone resting now on the coffee table. "I-I think I made it clear-"

"You think?" Meg demanded, "Listen, angel, you either straight-up tell him it's over between the two of you, or you meet-up and ride off into the damn sunset, got it? Cuz if he pulls some stunt that gets him or us busted, you'll have no one to blame but yourself for not being assertive."

"Hmm. I think I like you." Balthazar stated approvingly, staring at Meg thoughtfully.

"What's not to like?" Meg returned with a smug smile.

Castiel stared thoughtfully at his phone, then moved to turn it on.

He had sixteen missed texts and four missed calls, all from Dean.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced over at Meg and Balthazar. Meg gave him a thumbs-up. Balthazar just shrugged, waiting expectantly.

He dialed Dean's number.

It was answered on the first ring.

'Cas! Thank God! Please listen, okay?'

"No." Castiel answered forcefully, using his Think-Tank voice. He heard Dean's breath catch on the other end of the line. "Dean, you need to listen. I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but I want you to stop. Right now. I like you, but," Meg nodded her head encouragingly, "I care about my company more. Whatever you are planning puts everyone who works for me at risk, and that's unacceptable." His voice was pitched low and serious. "You need to understand what I'm saying Dean. I'm choosing my company over you."

There was silence on the line, and for a moment Castiel could almost imagine Dean's pained face.

"Dean, do you understand? Answer me."

'You don't trust me, is that it?' Came Dean's quiet answer.

"No. Not with this. Not with the whole company at risk."

There was more silence. Then, 'I understand.'

"So, you promise to leave? Tonight?"

'…yes.'

Castiel's chest tightened, he couldn't tell whether from relief of sorrow. "Thank you, Dean. I-" Meg was making enthusiastic hand gestures, shaking her head back and forth. Castiel bit back the words on the tip of his tongue, "Good-bye, Dean."

The line went dead from Dean's side first, and Castiel listened after the click for several seconds, as if Dean would suddenly come back on and…

What? Not leave?

Castiel lowered the phone and collapsed onto the bed. Both Meg and Balthazar took up seats beside him.

"It's for the best," Meg murmured sympathetically.

"Yeah, she's probably right." Balthazar agreed reluctantly. "Their plan was pretty far-fetched anyway. Something about that computer genius fellow sweet-talking his way into the sub-basement servers and accessing the classified network to trace the money…"

Meg suddenly bubbled with laughter. "What? Who the hell do these guys think they are? Double-O Seven? That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard!"

Balthazar joined her, beginning to chuckle, "Yeah, you should see the man. One word-mullet."

Meg cackled. "A mullet? People still have those?!"

Balthazar smiled, then elbowed Castiel, who was still sitting morosely between them. "Buck up, Cassie. Their plan would never have worked. You probably just saved Dean Winchester from getting himself tied-up permanently in this mess."

Castiel finally nodded, "You're right. It's good that he's leaving…"

…-^o^-…

Friday morning.

Dean: Evry 1 rdy?

Sam: I'm in. Ready.

Charlie: The princess is in his ivory tower. Clear for go.

Dean turned to Ash, Jess and Benny with a short nod. "Alright. Looks like Charlie got Sam in okay. She's says Cas is busy with work in his office."

The two men and Jess nodded, adjusting their blue electrician's coveralls. Beside them, in the large white van labeled 'Loki's Electricians' -which Dean had no idea how Gabriel managed to get on such short notice- Ruby and Gabriel sat with tense looks, waiting.

Dean approached the two, eyes on Ruby. "Are you sure you're comfortable with this? You may end up in jail."

Ruby's back straightened, and she nodded, rising to her feet.

"If those sons of bitches try to cart you off to jail, I'll handle it, 'kay, babe?" Gabriel assured her heroically. "I've got connections out the whazoo! You'll be out of there in no time-"

"What," Ruby drawled, annoyed, "you planning on popping into the jail and flashing a smile? You're a high-profile missing person, moron." She rolled her eyes, but mumbled to him, "I'll be fine. Stop panicking, Gabe."

Gabriel gave her the very first genuinely serious stare she had ever received from him. At last, he nodded, "Give 'em hell, babe."

Ruby nodded again, turning to Dean.

Dean: go Sammy

Dean sent the short message and took a deep breath.

Cas was going to kill him. He had asked Dean to leave last night and Dean had lied to him. It had been a tough decision, promising not to go through with the plan. But, it wasn't really a choice. Cas was trying to be a damn hero and sacrifice everything, and for what? 'The Company' he had said. Dean had almost lost his temper when Cas had told him that. How the hell was getting fake-married and putting half the company into the hands of a stranger- the enemies own daughter- a good idea?

No- Cas may put the company before Dean, but that didn't mean Dean was going to do the same. He didn't want the company to get screwed over either, but no way in hell was he willing to risk losing Cas to save it.

Even if Cas was pissed off with him for a while.

Their plan could save Cas, the company, and everyone, AND bust this Zachariah-guy for good.

It was worth the risk.

It was on Sam to initiate the first stage of their plan (dubbed Operation Damsel in Distress by Gabriel, Charlie and Ash). Dean shifted impatiently where he stood, waiting for the cue from Sam that the virus was installed and activated in the ADA computer system.

Dean didn't like the idea of Sammy going into the huge building with just Charlie as his backup. But, like everyone kept explaining, Dean's face was too recognizable. They had to minimize the number of people who saw him, in case some of the people working with Zachariah in the company had seen the blackmail photos. They hadn't wanted Dean to be part of the team going into the server farm in the sub-basement, but he had straight-up refused to be left waiting outside. Fuck that noise.

Now, he tried to control his breathing, imagining Sam, who- God knew- couldn't tell a lie to save his life, pretending to be an IT guy to the very same dude that was responsible for this whole mess.

Dean glanced down at his phone anxiously, as if Sam could manage to install the virus in just the ten seconds since he made his move.

"You got this, Sammy," Dean whispered to the phone in his sweaty hands.

…-^o^-…

"Tech support," Sam announced, walking with a confidence that he didn't actually have into Zachariah's office. The damage to the room was obvious, despite the very apparent effort to clean and repair the mess left in Ruby's wake.

Sam recognized the balding man sitting behind the large desk. He had always been there in background of the television whenever Castiel was being covered.

This was him. Zachariah. The man who had threatened Dean and blackmailed Castiel.

Sam moved to the desk immediately, already unzipping his small tool bag busily. The man, Zachariah, appeared annoyed, but moved out of Sam's way. "You idiots just replaced it yesterday. Why didn't you take care of everything then?"

"There have been reports of systems going offline and shutting down without warning. Have you been experiencing any issues with this computer?"

"What? No. If I had, I would have called."

Sam tried not grimace at the superior tone. "We wanted to check yours first, sir. VIP status, you know?" This seemed to shut the man up quickly. Sam almost rolled his eyes at the smug look the man had. "Uh, it's going to take a while, so-"

On cue, the thin, blonde secretary who had been sitting at the desk outside, rushed in, "She's back!"

Zachariah stared at the panting wide-eyed woman for a moment before asking, "Who?"

"Ruby! Security just flagged her in the lobby. She's downstairs demanding to see you! She's talking about photos or blackmail or something-?"

Zachariah was already moving fast before she finished, yelling at the blonde to have Uriel meet him in the lobby 'RIGHT THIS FUCKING SECOND!'

Once they both left the office, Sam went straight to the case behind the desk where Charlie and Ruby had described the hiding spot for the manila envelopes. He pulled them down fast, stuffing the folders into his bag, keeping an eye on the secretary thirty-feet away through the glass wall, who was shouting into the phone, her back to him.

Once he placed the frames back in their places, he returned to the computer and pulled the small USB drive from his bag and inserted it carefully into the slot.

A script box appeared briefly. Then, the computer screen went blue just before shutting down.

A glance towards the blonde woman showed that her computer had just crashed as well. She hunched over it, angrily tapping keys trying to turn it back on.

Sam pulled his cell phone out and sent a short text.

Sam: Success.

He tossed the USB drive back into his bag along with the stolen manila envelopes and headed for the stairs.

…-^o^-…

"Hey! Hold up! You can't just come in here without being cleared!" A heavy-set man with thick glasses planted himself in front of Ash. "Who authorized this?" The man was looking at the frowning security guards who had followed Dean, Benny, Ash, and Jess into the atrium of the IT's sub-basement. His name tag read 'Frank.'

"They said they were called," answered one of the guards with an air of irritation. There were more than a few heated glares exchanged between the small group of guards and the dozen or so pale IT workers seated in front of their terminals.

Ash spoke in a tone of authority that surprised the Lawrence group. "Oh, this is typical. Here we have a clear case of a Class Two Infiltration and the on-site technicians want to waste even more time with technicalities." He turned to the Lawrence team with a weary shake of his head and muttered, "Amateurs."

This made the ITs in the room stiffen, while the guards smiled smugly. The man blocking Ash blinked, his mouth trying to form words.

Ash just brushed past him, speaking quickly, "Sunkist, your bosses, sent us. Cyber attacks like this one are a huge embarrassment for the company. They want it handled swiftly." Ash stopped in front of an enormous door that looked more like a bank vault then an entrance to a room full of servers. He glared at it, as if furious that it wasn't already open. "Well? Tick-tock, people! Who knows how much data is already being sorted through by the enemies? Banking data, credit card numbers, company secrets, web browsing histories-"

Eight people were suddenly trying to enter the password into the small codex box all at the same time. The others-including the guards- were shouting for them to hurry the hell up.

…-^o^-…

When Charlie's screen turned blue then black, she fixed an expression of bewilderment to her face, mirroring the rest of those in the top floor office.

Charlie grinned and shot out a quick text to Gilda.

CHARLIE: OMG- it's time! Wish me luck!

GILDA: Please be careful, Charlie. I wish you would reconsider doing this.

CHARLIE: Nothing will keep me from you, babe! ; D It'll be over in no time!

Barely a minute later, Castiel poked his head out, wearing a small frown. "What was that? My computer just shut off and wont come back on."

"No idea, boss." She blinked up at him innocently.

"Sir." Naomi was walking quickly towards them after hanging up the phone, Alfie close behind. "It doesn't look like a power failure. Everything else is up. And it seems there is a disturbance in the main lobby downstairs. Security is responding now."

Behind Castiel, Meg stepped out, one eyebrow raised in amusement. "I really gotta start bringing pop-corn when I visit this place."

Castiel's blue eyes locked onto Charlie's. His eyes closed, and he took a deep breath. "Charlie. Please tell me this has nothing to do with Dean."

His blue eyes opened and stared into hers. She didn't even have to speak. The truth was written all over her face. And she knew that he knew it.

"Frick." She muttered.

"Damn it!" Castiel cursed, spinning fast and racing for the elevator. Meg followed, trailing after his long strides.

"Ms. Bradbury, what is-" Naomi began, but Charlie was already up and racing after Castiel, leaving her chair spinning.

"I'll explain later!" Charlie shouted over her shoulder as she rushied past startled employees.

"You'll explain now!" Naomi demanded, the older woman also running for the elevator. Alfie followed closely behind at a trot, frowning.

They ended up in the elevator together when it finally arrived at their floor, opening to a pale-faced Balthazar.

"Did you know Dean stayed!?" Castiel asked furiously, shoving Balthazar roughly into the wall.

"Of course not!" He snapped defensively, glancing at Charlie, "The plan was supposed to have been aborted!"

All eyes turned to then Charlie, who cringed into the corner nervously, hands up, "Whoa! Don't look at me! I didn't even know Castiel knew about the plan!"

"What plan?" Naomi searched their faces, her eyes filled with concern, "Is this Gabriel? What has he done now?"

"Gabriel? More like Dean," Meg huffed, eyes watching Castiel, "He was supposed to leave. You asked him not to do this! The idiot's going to fuck everything up!"

The elevator erupted into a series of questions and angry shouts and general chaos in the small cart.

"I don't know why you're even here," Charlie glowered at Meg, "Your the enemy!"

"Excuse the fuck outta me?" Meg growled, "I'm not the one that's helping Dean Winchester get himself busted by a maniac!"

"No, you're just trying to force Castiel into a marriage for his money, that's all!" Charlie retorted.

Before Meg could answer back, Balthazar came to her rescue, "Actually, Darling, Meg here is surprisingly practical, given the circumstances."

"What?! You're on her side now? Et tu, Balthazar!?" Charlie looked betrayed.

"What on earth are all of you talking about?" Naomi demanded.

"Is Dean Winchester really downstairs?" Alfie chimed in, wide-eyed. "Because I really think Zachariah was serious with his threats."

"It's going to be fine!" Charlie insisted, but her voice shook dangerously, "We-we have a plan…"

"The Mission Impossible suicide plan? That one?" Meg snorted derisively.

"Uh…yeah?" Charlie mumbled weakly.

"…I'm going to kill him," Castiel's deep voice rumbled dangerously, drawing the rest of them into silence as the elevator continued the long descent to the lobby.

Castiel was standing dangerously still, hands clenched and jaw tight as his narrowed eyes followed the lights counting down the floors.

…-^o^-…

Once the door to the server room was finally opened, Ash strolled regally past the ITs and into the cave-like room. Dean and Benny followed.

Jess stopped just inside the frame of the door, flashing a sunny smile at the nervous-looking technicians. In a cheerful voice, she stated, "I'm brand new at Sunkist. My dad got me the job." She rolled her eyes before beaming at the wide eyes surrounding her. "I think all this stuff is so cool, though! You guys must be really smart, huh?" She tossed her blonde hair flirtatiously and bit back a smirk as every eye in the room followed the movement.

Inside the room, Dean shivered.

It was freezing. The rows of racks full of humming equipment and flickering lights were eerie in the cold emptiness. Behind him, he could hear Jess working her charm to its fullest, and he couldn't help but grin. Those poor bastards didn't know what was happening.

Ash had stopped against the back wall where a single, multi-monitored computer sat. It looked like some serious James Bond-shit to Dean.

Ash seemed to know exactly what he was doing, though. He pulled his own weird devices from his small tool bag, attaching them by cords and cables like a kid's crazy science experiment.

Flexing his hands, Ash leaned forward and began typing at inhuman speeds. The fast-clicks of the keys was almost as steady a hum as the buzz from the towers surrounding them.

"Here we go…" Ash murmured. Dean smiled to himself, watching his friend zone out, sinking deep into cyber-land.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

No, fuck that- a piece of pie.

Dean turned back to the entrance, and waited patiently.

…-^o^-…

Castiel arrived in the lobby just in time to see the mess being cleaned up. There were broken pottery and plants strewn around the floor. One of the receptionists was sobbing into the arms of several sympathetic workers, while another receptionist sat shell-shocked nearby. Uriel was speaking to three security guards, one of whom was sporting a nasty red streak across his face that may have come from someone's nails.

"Uriel, what happened down here?" Castiel asked, voice full of dread as the rest of the group hurried to follow behind him.

Uriel turned as soon as Castiel spoke, his face a mask. "Mr. Novak," he greeted, but there was a sharp note to his voice. "There was an incident with your former secretary, Ruby. It's being handled. Mr. Zachariah has just called down. He would like to see you. In his office. Now."

There was lingering moment, when the head of security held Castiel's eye.

Castiel nodded. Then, he turned and went back to the elevator, a growing sense of dread forming a tight knot in his stomach.

The other's all moved to follow him back into the cart, but he held out his hand and rasped, "No. Stay here."

Alfie stepped forward, face determined. "I should go, too."

"I said-" Castile began but Alfie spoke over him in an unexpected show of authority.

"Your father has been preparing me for situations like this. I have every right-"

"You were not the one he left in charge, and this is not YOUR mess!" Castiel snapped angrily.

There was a several second period when it looked like neither man would back down.

Finally, Alfie said quietly, "Your father didn't want this for you. It doesn't suit you. He knew that."

Castiel's frown deepened, but he didn't respond. Instead, he turned and stepped into the cart, watching the strained faces of his team as the doors swept smoothly shut.

…-^o^-…

Dean and Benny kept watch by the door, shaking and stomping their feet to keep themselves warm while Ash did his magic. After several silent minutes, Ash's frustrated voice called to them. "Dudes- we got a problem."

"Don't say that." Dean said, hurrying over to him, his eyes trying to make sense of the information flashing across the large screens.

"I can't…" Ash began, scowling at the screen. "No, man. It's not here."

"What's not there?"

"The money, dude. There's not even a trail or data path. I've searched all over that Zachariah-guy's information. Everything he's touched in the last five years is here. But I can't find the missing money!"

"Damn it!" Dean cursed. "Where else can it be, then?"

"Well, no way they got it out of the company account. That would raise all kinds of red flags." Ash typed hurriedly, eyes scanning several windows at once. "The company account is linked by direct deposits to the personnel accounts. It has to be in here somewhere."

Benny coughed loudly, indicating that they had company on the way.

"Shit, Ash. What can you do?" Dean asked, trying not to panic.

"Well, I can't just search every employee's account one-by-one. I need a name. Who else could be involved?"

"Fuck, I-I don't know any other names. It was supposed to be in that Zachariah dude's account. He's the mastermind!"

"What's this? Why are you in the accounting database?!"

Dean turned quickly at the angry voice. Benny was trying to block several IT's, but it was useless. All eyes were trained on the screens with suspicion.

Ash's voice responded with sarcasm, "Gee, I don't know. Maybe because that's where the hackers gained access? I swear, what university did you guys graduate from? Are you even qualified for this job?"

That worked, for the time being. Dean watched as the man with the glasses- Frank- looked at the others with embarrassment. "Well, of course I knew that the accounting database was very susceptible to-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ash interrupted. "Listen, what we have here is a well-planned cyber security breach. I need to know who opened the door for this attack. Seems like the first accounts hit were all executives. Give me some names to check."

"Oh! Uh, yes sir. Let's see there's-"

In the next several seconds, names were being offered up for all the executives who may have been the point of the breach. Ash rushed to type, scanning each account with a growing temper.

After only ten names out of over forty, there was a commotion coming from back in the main room outside the server vault.

"Uh, Ash-" Dean began.

"Who the hell are you people?" Several new people wearing coveralls with the 'Sunkist Cyber System logos were making their way down the nearest row of servers.

Dean turned back to Ash, who was already stuffing his gear back into his bag.

"Who are we? Nice try." Ash moved quickly, tugging on Dean's arm. "Just because we got the call to come here first, you're gonna get all snippy about territory, is that it?" The Sunkist team came up short, confused. "You know what? Tell your manager that he has to be quicker on the draw if he expects to beat our South-side office." Ash pointedly turned to the ADA ITs who were looking back and forth between the two teams. "Problem solved. You're welcome."

He turned and held up his pointer finger as they reached the elevators to go up, Jess, Dean and Benny following quickly. "Sunkist South-side, still number ONE, bitches!"

The doors shut, and they were finally moving up and out of the sub-basement level.

"Did you get the information?" Jess asked, looking between Dean's stony face and Ash's distracted glare at the doors.

"No," Dean snapped. Then he kicked the polished metal of the elevator car, leaving an indentation. "No, we didn't get shit!"

…-^o^-…

Zachariah's back was to the door when Castiel knocked on it.

"Come in," Zachariah's voice called from where he stood, facing his award case.

Castiel stepped in cautiously, eyeing the man's back and trying to get a sense of his mood.

"Castiel," Zachariah's voice floated across the room, sounding thoughtful, "I thought we had an… agreement."

Castiel frowned. "I don't know what Ruby was doing here-"

"Shhh, shhh, shhh," Zachariah held up a finger in his direction. "Let's not do this, Castiel. I just…" He finally turned and frowned at Castiel, as if he was disappointed. "I just hoped that you were… smarter than this. What did you think, hmm? That if you stole the photos that you could hand them into the police, or to the press first, and that everything would just clear up after that?" He shook his head, smiling bitterly. "I have to hand it to you. You aren't making this easy for me."

He finally looked up at Castiel for the first time since he entered the room.

"I just made a few phone calls."

Castiel stared at him, waiting. His heart was beating loudly, thumping in his ears. He felt dizzy with dread.

"Don't you want to know who I called, Castiel? Go on, ask me." He smiled, his toothy grin reminding Castiel of a shark. Somehow, he found his voice. "Who?'

Zachariah's smile broadened. "Well, the first few calls were to the presidents of some of our branches. I think you know the ones. They were, ah, very upset to hear that they were being shut down. It was… a tough job, letting them know on your behalf." Castiel stiffened, eyes shutting as Zachariah continued. "Then, of course, I made a quick, anonymous call to the local news stations. Have to make sure they're up to speed with these closures, you know. And then, I made one last call. To a friend of mine, in Lawrence." Castiel eyes shot open, meeting Zachariah's, which were suddenly sharp and deadly. "But, wouldn't you know it? He didn't answer."

Castiel barely breathed as Zachariah's dark eyes bored into him.

Zachariah's voice was like the steel of a knife's edge when he next spoke. "I don't know what you think you are doing, but you listen very carefully to me, Castiel. Tomorrow there WILL be a ceremony. You WILL sign the paperwork. Half of this company WILL be transferred over to the CPOA. ANYTHING you do that deviates from that plan will have repercussions that I swear will make you regret ever disobeying me. Do you understand?"

Castiel nodded once.

"Outstanding!" Zachariah clapped his hands together, startling Castiel. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Get the fuck out of my office."

…-^o^-…

Dean was moving on auto-pilot as their small group crossed the large parking garage to the van to join the others. He didn't notice the panicked looks on the other's faces until it was too late.

A fist connected -hard- with his jaw, sending him sideways in a jolt of pain and dizziness. It took him a moment to realize that he was laying on his side on the cold cement of the garage floor. His entire face was pulsing with sharp jabs of pain. He rolled to stand, instinctually preparing to defend himself.

He turned, arms up and ready to swing at his attacker, just in time to see Castiel's furious face, his fist barreling towards him again.

Dean was so shocked, he didn't even think to block the punch, which landed with another sickening thud across his face. The pain rattled deep down his bones, making his head spin. He staggered, almost toppling over again. Before he could recover, he was jerked forward, taking a knee to the gut. He felt bile and the metallic tang of blood rise in the back of his throat.

He fell, coughing and choking. "W-What-?! Hackk-! Are you fucking crazy?!" His voice was slurred, his mouth painfully trying to pronounce the words. He spat, expecting to see red spray onto the concrete.

"I've done everything for them- everything they've asked- all to protect you! And this is what I get for it!? You just-just-!" Castiel spun furiously away, turning his back on Dean and stomping towards the staring group. Naomi and the rest had followed him down after Castiel had returned to demand from Charlie to know where Dean was. They had been led down to parking garage to discover Gabriel and Sam waiting for the rest of the group to return.

Raising his hand, Castiel pointed to the Lawrence team and ground out, "Leave. Go back to Kansas. You've all done enough here." They all cringed as one, moving further away from the enraged man.

"No-!" Dean was picking himself up gingerly. He raised his hand to his jaw, wincing as he touched it. His eyes darkened as he glared up at Castiel. He thought he saw something there. Maybe sorrow? Maybe regret? The pain blossoming all over his body shoved the fanciful idea out of his mind roughly. Dean felt a deep, sharp coldness bleed through him. His voice was a rasp, low and furious, "We were trying to help you, you ungrateful son of a bitch!" He heard to gasped intake from the rest of the group, but he didn't flinch, just held Castiel's stare, letting the cold rage numb all other feelings.

"Help me?!" Castiel's voice scraped out, his hands trembling with barely controlled anger at his sides. "You've just cost thousands of MY employees their jobs! I told you to leave it alone! To leave this to me! Did you think Zachariah wouldn't guess that something was wrong?! You fucking idiot!" He moved as if he wanted to return to pummeling Dean's face, but drew up short as Dean suddenly stood shakily and shouted back.

"Why? So you can fake a marriage and give them exactly what they want?" Dean jabbed a finger at Meg, who flinched at the sudden attention. "So you can lie to everyone's faces? You really think that shit will work!? If you give them what they want now, they're just gonna keep using you! You know it's the truth! We can help you. You have to fucking let us!"

Gabriel chose that moment to step tentatively between the two men and pipe in, "Okay- I just want to point out, for the record, that you two are literally fighting over who gets to prove they love the other more. I mean, I'm not the only one who's hearing this, right?" He looked around him incredulously for confirmation from the others.

"Shut up, Gabriel!" Both Dean and Castiel snapped in unison. They tensed, glaring at each other.

"Oh, Right- I'll just go fuck myself then, shall I?" Gabriel threw his arms up in frustration, "Tryin' to be reasonable over here, but, yeah whatever…" He muttered to himself as he hopped into the front seat of the van, crossing his arms, pouting.

Both men ignored him, shooting daggers at each other.

"Go home, Dean," Castiel ordered, voice edged with steel.

"Not happening, Cas," Dean growled back.

"You don't have any right to be a part of this!" Castiel hissed.

"I'm not letting you marry that crazy chick out of some idiotic act of heroism, Cas," Dean snarled back.

Meg made an indignant sound from behind Castiel.

Castiel bristled at the insult, "I'm marrying Meg because I trust her. We are happy together,"

"Bull. Shit." Dean declared, scowling.

Castiel sucked in an angry breath at the dismissal. He turned sharply on his heel, marching over to where Meg was standing. He tugged her toward him and dipped her down into a deep kiss.

The rest of the group's mouths dropped open in wide 'O's.

They stared at the couple pulled tightly together and joined at the lips.

Then at Dean.

Then at the couple, again, as they finally broke apart for air.

Then back at Dean.

He was staring at Castiel, nostrils flared, a thin line of dark blood slowly trailing down to his tight lips.

"Alright." Dean's voice was nearly a whisper, but it still cut through the silence. "That's what you want? Great. Have fun playing pretend, Cas. 'Cause I'm done tryin' to help you." He turned sharply towards Sam and the others, obviously cutting Cas out of his sight and mind. "Let's go."

No one moved.

Sam looked nervously at Castiel, then his brother as he stalked to the van. He began cautiously, voice cracking, "Dean, we can't-"

"I said we're fucking leaving Sammy!" Dean barked. "He made his decision." Dean slung his arm angrily to point in Castiel's direction. Castiel didn't flinch at the movement.

Dean shoved past his brother to get to the van, yanking his arm away as Sam tried to catch it. "Don't." He warned, body tense.

"Let's go, Meg," Castiel ordered, also turning to head for the garage elevator.

Meg glanced uncomfortably at the others before shrugging and turning to follow Castiel to the distant elevator.

The rest of the ADA group exchanged worried frowns with the Lawrence group, before also beginning the slow trek back to the elevator.

Castiel heard the engine of the van start up just as the elevator doors closed. There was silence in the cart. Nobody even dared to breath too loudly.

Castiel's knuckles tingled. A distant pain. The memory of sharp contact with Dean's cheek. His shocked face. The feeling of flesh striking bone.

He hit Dean.

He hurt Dean.

Dean was leaving. For good. For ever.

He was never going to see Dean again.

He gripped the railing of the cart like it was an anchor, holding him fast in place.

Preventing him from running after the van-

-after Dean.

…O_O…

End Finale Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGER!!
> 
> Let the hurt soak in and the FEELS pour out...
> 
> __________
> 
> Credit to:
> 
> Eurythmics- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
> 
> Melissa Etheridge- I'm the Only One
> 
> Journey- Don't Stop Believing
> 
> (If you haven't heard these songs, I recommend listening to them while reading the scenes where they come up. I think they fit *great*.)


	39. Finale Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha...I love a good cliff hanger...
> 
> Here's the final chapter. If you get so upset that you end of screaming at the screen or chucking your device across the room- I will consider it a personal success.
> 
> -*_^- Enjoy!

 

"Fuck Sammy, just back off!" Dean shrugged his brother off angrily as they boarded the train, drawing the nervous attention of the other passengers on the second level of their car.

"Dean, come on. You can't stay pissed forever," Sam said quietly, giving an apologetic look to the frowning audience.

"The hell I can't!" Dean snapped back loudly, ignoring the rest of his friends as they winced and glanced around them in embarrassment.

"Um…," Jess was shifting to hold out her phone towards Dean, "You're, uh, you're Mom and Dad want to talk to you."

"I don't want to hear it! They were wrong- EVERYONE was wrong!" Jess pulled the phone back with a wince, apologizing into it.

The intercom system came on, a voice announcing the train's departure from San Diego's Santa Fe Depot in two minutes.

Dean ignored it, continuing his loud rant that hadn't stopped, even after they left the ADA garage and picked up their bags from Balthazar's condo. Sam had the impression that Dean was continuing the furious tirade in an effort to avoid handling the reality of the situation. That his brother would finally slip completely into a hopeless depression at being so thoroughly rejected.

Cussing loudly in front of strangers was probably better.

Yeah...Probably.

"I come half-way across the country to tell him I love him, and what does he do?! Tells me he still wants to marry some woman he barely knows!"

This had the entire rest of the car's ears perking up, all eyes turning towards Dean as he violently shoved his bag into the overhead shelf. He looked around, realizing he had the attention of the two dozen passengers, and shouted, throwing his hands up, "Yeah! I'm gay! I'm fucking gay, and now I'm officially single! Anyone got a problem with that?!"

He glared at the many faces, daring them to speak. Sam had the urge to squeeze himself into the smallest corner he could find and die of embarrassment. It was just like Dean to funnel his emotions into a tornado of over-defensive posturing, but this? This took the cake. Not only was he ranting about his failed romantic rendezvous on a crowded train, but he was actually shouting at strangers, many of whom were shocked elderly couples and wide-eyed businessmen.

Yep, this was a new low for his brother. One that would most certainly be regretted once Dean calmed down… whenever the hell that was going to be. Certainly not anytime soon, at this rate. Maybe by the time they hopped the last bus-stretch to Kansas? Maybe not…

"All I wanted was to help him! To save him from living this fucking lie! But, no! He wouldn't even let me read him my mother-! Fucking-! Love-! Letter-!" Dean punched his large duffel, forcing it into the tight shelf as he accentuated each word.

"But," Ash's voice chimed in, holding up a hand to the staring audience as if he was putting on a show for their viewing pleasure, "he never said that he didn't love you."

Dean huffed, turning his fury on Ash. "He beat the shit outta me!"

"Oh, well, then it's probably for the best. You deserve better, dear." This came from a deeply-wrinkled elderly woman who nodded her head knowingly at Dean from a few seats away.

Dean had to bite back his angry retort, sucking in a breath before replying with forced calm. "He's-he's not abusive, ma'am. He just wants me to go back home. Said he doesn't want me here 'cuz it's not safe."

The tiny woman's eyes widened, and she nodded in understanding. "Oh, so he's worried for you? That's why he hurt you? Seems like he cares about you very much, then."

"Mary says she right," Jess added hesitantly from her spot beside Sam, phone still in hand.

"He won't let me try to help him, and he knocked the hell outta me when I tried. That seems pretty DARN clear to me." He had the grace to look uncomfortable under the woman's wizened gaze.

Across the car, a younger man with baggy clothes and a hoodie tugged down his large headphones and stated, "Bro, that's nothing. Just means having you around, like, you know, shakes his resolve or something."

The people seated around the young man nodded and murmured in agreement, looking to Dean for his response. From their seats, the Lawrence group was nodding.

Dean snorted, but was clearly taken aback by the unexpected consensus. He tried explaining again. "You guys don't get it. He's about to get married. To a CHICK. He even kissed her in front of me to prove he was serious." He scowled as nearly everyone in the car shook their heads at him like he was an idiot.

There was a low murmur from several people turning to their neighbors. Dean could make out hushed 'faked it, I bet' and 'not real, obviously'.

"Bobby says- oh, nope! Not gonna repeat that!" Jess's face turned red.

Someone called from the front of the car, "But did he SAY he doesn't LOVE you?"

Dean's patience snapped and he shouted, "I told you, he didn't have to! He made it perfectly fuckin' clear!"

Dean was standing defensively now, as if he was squaring himself to stand his ground against an attack. A stance Sam immediately recognized as his 'becoming-unsure-but-trying-to-make-up-for-it-by-acting-super-tough' stance.

"Make him say it, then!" encouraged a man in a suit who was sitting nearby. He held a newspaper, but ignored it for the more interesting drama unfolding in front of him. His suggestion was met with several other shouts of agreement from all around the car.

"If he didn't say he doesn't love you, then that means he must!"

"He's just afraid of seeing you get hurt!"

"You have to go back and confront him!"

"Don't give up!"

"If you love him, stay and fight!"

Dean looked torn between overwhelmed at all the strangers' unexpected support, and dumbfounded at what they were all suggesting. Sam could almost SEE Dean's mind turning it all over. His green eyes were wide, darting around at all the faces as they yelled insistently for him to get off the train and run back to his lover.

"You're Dad says to grow a pair and try again," Jess added quietly.

Someone broke into a chant that the rest of the car picked up, even the tiny old woman closest to Dean.

"FIGHT FOR LOVE! FIGHT FOR LOVE!"

Dean's head turned both ways and he backed up as the chants became louder.

Sam heard his brother mutter, "Jesus!" followed almost immediately by, "Son of a-!"

And then Dean was roughly jerking his duffel bag back out of the overhead shelf, shoving past the crowded row of seats to race down the car stairs.

The crowd erupted into animated cheers as Sam, Benny, Ash and Jess all snatched their own bags and ran smiling after him.

Just as Dean was half-sliding, half-falling hurriedly down the narrow stairs, a whistle sounded, followed by the final call of 'ALL ABOARD'.

The exit door just a few yards ahead of him snapped shut, and the train lurched forward.

"Fuck! WAIT! I NEED TO GET OFF! WAIT!" Dean was shouting at the terrified car attendant, who pressed himself against the wall as Dean barreled towards him.

"Dean!" Sam called out as his brother grabbed the front of the man's uniform and shouted for him to stop the train.

The man was trying to understand what Dean was yelling as he struggled to get out of his tight grip. "Sir, I-I can't just stop the train unless there's an emergency!"

"Dean!" Sam shouted again, finally reaching his brother and trying to pull him off the man.

"Damn it, Sammy! I have to get back to Cas! I still have a chance!"

"Dean, we're on a TRAIN! A passenger TRAIN! The next stop is Olde Town SAN DIEGO. As in, like literally, SEVEN MINUTES away! Let the dude go!"

Dean turned to Sam, his face relaxing abruptly. "Oh… Oh." He turned to the pale-faced attendant and gave him a sheepish grin as he released his grip. "My bad, man." He attempted to smooth the man's rumpled shirt with a shaky chuckle.

…-^o^-…

Their group was assisted in disembarking by several unhappy station security personnel as soon as the train arrived at the Olde town station.

Dozens of smiling people waved encouragingly at Dean from the second level as the train began departing shortly after.

It was Jess who broke the silence as the whistles of the train echoed in the distance.

"Wow," she muttered as they all waved awkwardly, "that was… they were… supportive."

"I'll say," Benny agreed. Sam did a double-take spotting the tiny rainbow-striped flag Benny was waving daintily at the departing train.

"Wha-? When did you get that?" Sam asked incredulously as, behind him, Ash doubled over with laughter.

Benny shrugged, eyes wide as he looked down at it. "One of the suits just kinda handed it to me. Said something 'bout, 'time to step out of the shadows'."

Ash collapsed, wheezing.

"So, what now? Do we have a plan?" Jess asked, looking around the group, her eyes stopping on Dean. The oldest Winchester was standing stiffly, frowning into the dark night extending past the station lights.

His voice answered after a few moments. "We have to try and get back into the database in the ADA, somehow," Dean said, running his hands over his face. "That money is the key to all of this. The only reason Cas has to go along with all this shit is that fucking missing money. It's the only card left in the bad guys hand."

"It's a hell of a card though…" Ash murmured thoughtfully, "If Castiel does what they say, then he can at least get the money back after the marriage, and maybe fix the closures."

"Yeah," Dean growled, "And all he's gotta do is sell his soul to the bad guys to get it. No- I'm not letting him go through with it."

"Dean…It's-it's not a bad plan," Sam offered quietly, "If he really trusts that Meg-chick, and he can get them to give the money back afterwards-"

"-then what, Sammy? You seriously think it's gonna end there?! That these fuckers are just gonna smile and say thank you?!"

"His hands will be dirty," Ash was nodding, face dark, "All they'll have to do is start black mailin' him for illegal insider dealing. He'll never be able to get clear of them."

There was a drawn out silence as everyone considered Ash's statement.

"We have got to get that money," Dean whispered, "We need to get back into that basement and we need more time so we can check out all the executives to see who has the money. It the only way."

"They ain't gonna let us back in, man," Benny sighed, thinking hard. "They probably already realize we were impostors by now."

The group stood in silence in the dark of the open train station platform.

Finally, Ash heaved a long-suffering sigh, drawing everyone's attention. He shrugged, then spoke wistfully as if to himself, "I never thought the day would come. But, I'll do it… in the service of a friend."

The group just stared at him blankly.

Finally, Sam asked tentatively, "Uh, Ash, are you waxing poetic because you have a plan, or…?"

Ash dropped his duffel bag on the ground and plopped down heavily on it, holding up a finger to the rest of the group as he pulled out his cell phone and a thick stack of bent and crumpled business cards from the pocket of his ratty jeans. He shuffled through the cards, squinting in the dim light of the street lamps. Finally, he pulled one out shook his head slowly, as if he were disappointed in himself.

He dialed the number on the card while the others watched in growing puzzlement.

"Marty? Hey, Ash Lindberg-" He held the phone away from his ear and the rest of the group could hear excited shrieking. "Yeah, Marty, I have considered the offer. Listen, you heard about that little security breach with you guy's system at the ADA Headquarters earlier? …Oh, good… Yeah, so, that was me."

The rest of the group's jaws dropped. "The hell?" Dean asked no one in particular.

Ash continued cheerfully, "Yep. You see, Marty, I am a man of discerning tastes. If I'm gonna take on a job with your company, I'm gonna do my research first, right? Well, I gotta tell ya, I'm less than impressed. That system is vulnerable in more ways than I can count. But, since I'm not busy, I'm willing to make you an offer. Here's what's up: Get me back in to run some checks on the system. I'll give you a full report of your weaknesses, free of charge." There was the buzz of excited talking. "What can I say, Marty? I'm bored, and Sunkist interests me. Run it by your bosses, and get back to me. I have a small window, so I'd like access by tomorrow morning."

After a few more exchanges, Ash hung up. He looked up at the others, shaking his head in disgust. "I need a bleach shower. But," he spread his arms proudly, "we should be in- legit like- now." His smile faltered as he tucked his phone back into the pocket of his ratty jeans.

Sam felt light-headed, "Ash…did you seriously just call Sunkist, like- THE SUNKIST COMPANY."

Ash was still sitting, shoulders slumped, "Yeah. It's cool, though. Marty isn't so bad. Has three kids- all girls. Makes a mean S'more, too. At least it wasn't the Orange company. The guy they sent wouldn't even take his shoes and coat off around the camp fire. Talk about stuck up. And don't get me started on the dudes from NASA- how do you not like cat fishing?!"

Dean walked over and patted the depressed man on the back. "Ash…thanks. I'm sure, uh, that was…difficult for you. I owe you, man."

"No, you don't, hombre. We're friends, and friends are the family we choose for ourselves. I got your back." Ash hopped up to his feet, pointlessly dusting off his pants. "Now, let's get to work on hashing out our new backup plan, 'Operation Final Countdown'!"

…-^o^-…

Tessa watched Teddy from her spot behind the counter in the small diner. It was the fifth time in the past hour that he had made a phone call on his cell. It seemed like whoever he was trying to reach wasn't answering.

She watched him set the cell phone down on the table again, frowning at it. After a few minutes, he seemed to make a decision.

He rose from his usual place in the booth by the window and approached her with a small smile. She returned it, asking hesitantly, "Your, um, son that always calls you… He's not answering?"

Teddy shook his head gently, but his small smile remained. "No, I'm afraid he's no longer allowed to contact me. But, that's my fault. I put him in a tough position." He sighed, eyes staring past her and into the distance as if he were thinking hard. "I'm leaving, Tessa. There is somewhere I need to be."

Tessa blinked in surprise. "Leaving? Sioux Falls? Are you…" She checked the empty diner, then tilted her head toward the small TV. "Are you going back to San Diego?" Her voice was laced with excitement.

Teddy's smile widened and he actually chuckled, throwing her off guard. "No, not back to San Diego. My secretary would be furious." Teddy continued, his voice becoming more cheerful. "No, I'd better steer clear of San Diego. Fortunately, there are some people I've been hoping to meet. In Kansas."

"Kansas?" Tessa echoed, confused.

"Yes, Kansas." Teddy's eyes twinkled. "The sooner I leave, the better, I think. But, I wanted to thank you and Chuck. It's been… good to be back. I owe you both quite a lot for keeping my little secret during my stay."

Tessa nodded. "It's no problem, really. I-I hope everything works out. With your family, I mean."

The diner door opened, and Sheriff Henrikson entered. Teddy gave her another brief smile, before turning and moving past the sheriff and out the door.

"Set me up with usual, please, Tess." Henrikson took his seat at the counter, unfolding the newspaper.

Tessa mumbled something, but her eyes were following the white-haired form of Teddy as he walked out of sight past the diner windows.

"You ready for this marriage?"

Tessa shook herself, bringing her attention back to the man sitting in front of her. "Sorry?"

"The marriage. That Novak guy is supposedly getting hitched to the daughter of a rival company. Sounds like one of those marriages of convenience, if you ask me. Stinks of special interest. What they SHOULD be doing is trying to track down the missing father. I bet that fellow is living it up on some tropical island while all this nonsense is going on."

"Mm-hmm," Tessa replied noncommittally, moving busily to place the sheriff's order.

…-^o^-…

"Where the hell is Ash? Fuck!" Dean cursed pacing anxiously back and forth in the parking garage.

"Dean, chill," Sam finally ordered, drawing a groan from his brother.

"Chill? Chill, Sammy? Really? Cas is gonna be married in-" Dean glanced at his watch, as if the time could have changed dramatically in the last several seconds since he looked at, "Four-fucking-hours! So don't tell ME to CHILL!" He ran his hand through his hair, hissing another series of rapid curses as he paced back and forth.

"Your genius better show the hell up quick-like. I'm really going out on a limb here helping you folks again." Gabriel's face was tight, making it look all the more garish underneath the heavy layers of bright make-up. He tugged hard on his leopard print skirt as his eyes scanned the entrance into the parking garage. Beside him, Ruby scratched irritably at her fake mustache.

"Uh, okay guys, I gotta ask-" Sam began, frowning at the two, "What's with the gender-bending?" Jess, Benny and Dean all paused, as if they had been wanting to ask the same question.

"Obviously we are two very high-profile individuals," Gabriel stated, rolling his eyes, "We can't exactly stroll into the ADA without disguises." He spared Sam a 'duh' look.

"Yeah, I mean, no, I get that, but…" Sam gave them both a strained once over again before exhaling loudly and shaking his head, "Never mind…"

"Ruby, are you sure you wanna go back in there? I mean, you may get caught and arrested again." Jess wrung her hands nervously, frowning at the woman.

Ruby shrugged, the movement appearing more masculine than usual in her casual men's blazer, "I didn't even make it to the jail house yesterday. The cops dropped me off at a damn Big Gerson's ten minutes away and asked me to give Gabe their best."

She raised her eyebrows grudgingly as Gabriel preened beside her. "Told you, babe. Connections."

Ruby rolled her eyes, but at that moment Ash's voice squawked across the garage, "Home-skillets- sorry I'm late!"

They turned as one, Dean sucking in a breath to berate the man for his tardiness. Instead, the air sputtered out of him.

"A-ASH?!"

Ash's grin dropped along with his shoulders at their incredulous stares. "Ah, hah. Yeah- gruesome, I know dudes and dudettes. I feel like a damn respectable citizen." He raised his arms out to display the tailored suit he wore. It fit him perfectly, making his scrawny form look lean and cut. It had to have cost a fortune, judging by the fine cloth and and excellent fit. "Do me a favor and DON'T take any pictures. I don't want any evidence of this ruining my hard-earned reputation back home."

"Wh-what the hell happened to your mullet, dude!" Dean asked, horrified, "Fuck-! If you cut it off just for this, I'll never forgive myself, man!"

Ash's grin reappeared, "Relax, bro. Delilah, herself, couldn't cut my flowing locks." He turned his head and pointed at a subtle bump at the back of his head. "It's a wig. Not bad, huh?"

"Wow, Ash." Sam blinked, impressed, "I gotta hand it to you- you look professional."

"Hey, now. Easy on the adjectives." Ash winced, "Let's just get this ceremony crashed ASAP so I can salt and burn this abomination, huh?"

"Yeah, he's right," Dean suddenly cut in, his nerves returning in full force, "We need to move. Everyone knows the plan, right?" All around him, heads nodded. "And Charlie and Beetlejuice are ready, too?"

"Balthazar," Gabriel corrected with a smirk, but nodded his head. "Yeah, they're both pretty upset about yesterday, but they're willing to give it one more shot. Just-" He stopped, teeth clenching together before he continued, tone deathly serious, "Don't fuck this up, Winchester. We all have friends in the offices that got shut down yesterday. If you cost any more people their jobs, I'm going to personally beat seven shades of shit out of you. You got me?"

Dean met his eye straight on, voice a low promise, "We won't fuck up again, Gabe. I promise- we'll get Jess, Ruby and all the others their jobs back once we wipe the floor with this Zachariah-fucker and his cronies. You have my word."

Gabriel held his eye for several more moments, brow furrowed in an intense glare that reminded Dean painfully of the man's brother. "Yeah, well," he sniffed, relaxing, "S'not me you should be worried about in the end. Cassie's likely to kill you on sight, as it is. You sure you want to be the one who distracts him? He's less likely to kick my ass…probably. If anything, I'd make him work for it. He's fast, but I'm pretty nimble, myself… Actually, no, never mind. Better you than me."

"It's fine, Gabe. I think I, uh, have an emergency strategy," Dean's eyes darted briefly to Ash, who grinned widely and sent him a thumbs up. "I'll keep Cas upstairs for as long as I can. Ash should be able to track the money down easier now that we actually have access. Once he has the money back safe, you make the call to your police contacts to send in the cavalry. All we gotta do, really, is to keep Cas from saying 'I do' and signing those papers."

"Yeah, that's ALL," Ruby murmured sardonically.

Dean ignored her. "Alright. Everybody ready for this?" The entire group nodded, faces determined.

"Are you?" Sam asked his brother, watching him closely, his eyes moving to the colorful bruise along his cheek.

"I guess we'll find out," Dean muttered.

…-^o^-…

"My God, you look like shit."

Castiel's expensive suit and gleaming shoes could hardly distract attention away from his pallid face and the dark circles around his bright blue eyes. Castiel couldn't even manage a glare at Dick, and instead, mumbled petulantly, "So do you," which had Dick snapping his mouth shut immediately.

He stepped past Dick and out of the elevator into the top floor office. It was almost completely empty- the majority of the normal staff having left to prepare for the marriage ceremony starting in a few hours. All that remained was Castiel's personal team, their strained faces suggesting that he and Dick were not the only one's who had a restless night.

Castiel barely registered them. He rubbed his tired eyes, and croaked, "Is everything ready downstairs?" He staggered numbly towards the solitude of his office.

The only thing worse than hating himself alone, was hating himself with company.

Dick gave him a frown, as if he wanted to say something else, but answered carefully, "Yes," he produced a clipboard and read over it, "We've already started to seat the press and get their equipment ready. There are guests from several of the other companies, a few organizations, and most of the high-level company employees. It's a fairly large turn out. An even bigger crowd is gathering at the front of the building. Security has been posted at all possible entrances to ensure a private ceremony." Dick grunted at his notes, apparently pleased that everything was in order.

"And the paperwork? It's all there?" Castiel paused briefly outside his door, turning at last to face the others.

The paperwork. That was the most important piece. The ceremony was only a formality. It was the marriage paperwork that Zachariah, Azazel, and the others were all going to be interested in. A few documents that, once signed by both him and Meg, would immediately split the ADA in half. Over forty years of his father's hard work, handed over to a virtual stranger. The fate of thousands of lives on the line…

"Castiel," Dick's alarmed voice cut in, "are you going to throw up?"

Castiel sucked in several breaths, feeling the panic trying to rise to the surface for the umpteenth time since hauling his exhausted body from bed this morning. Naomi, Charlie, and Alfie were watching him with equally concerned looks nearby. They all understood Castiel's mood. Dick, however, was uninvolved in the fiasco that is Castiel's life, apparently attributing his demeanor to a case of nerves.

"This is all very…sudden," Dick's voice dropped as he tried to meet Castiel's eye, "If you say the word, I can-"

"-just make sure everything is ready to go," Castiel rasped abruptly, "How much time do I have?"

Dick frowned at him, still trying unsuccessfully to catch Castiel's eyes with his, and answered obediently, "An hour before the ceremony starts. We'll need you standing by at no later than ten 'til. We should head down sooner, though. We need to go over everything at least once."

Castiel nodded weakly in response as he stepped into his office. "Give me a few minutes. I need… I'm just going to…" he stuttered quietly. "I'll be ready. Soon." He closed the door without another word, shutting out the worried faces of his friends.

In the silence of his office, Castiel finally sagged- the weight of everything almost dropping him. Even the short walk from his room up to his office seemed grueling and unbearable.

On the far wall, above the couches, the TV was playing on mute.

Large, bright fonts scrolled across the bottom. 'ADA Marriage LIVE BROADCAST'. A small ticker in the right corner was counting down time to the ceremony start. The anchor in the newsroom was smiling broadly, speaking.

The video suddenly shifted to show none other than Cathy Campbell. The ADA lobby, decorated in white banners and flowers, was directly behind her in the background.

Fantastic. Cathy Campbell was covering his marriage. Yet another blow that his body was too tired to flinch from. He turned away to face the bright, sunlit windows.

Despite the beautiful San Diego day, he felt as if he had been bled of all hope.

What was he doing this for? It had seemed so clear before.

The company was in danger. Thousands of unsuspecting workers being threatened by shadowy figures that held their fates hostage. Billions of dollars at risk of disappearing like vapor, untraceable, leaving behind a gaping void in the company finances. A void that would be impossible to fill without massive job cuts and firings.

And Castiel could prevent it. He could have the money returned- like it had never left- just by agreeing to sign some papers and tell the world a lie.

He could give up his relative freedom, and happiness, if it meant that innocent people were spared.

And Dean.

Dean was his biggest weakness. Dean- the most innocent bystander in all of this. Dean's only connection to this mess was Castiel. If Castiel had kept his distance- exercised more control over his feelings- then Dean would never have been put at risk like this. If Dean had never met Castiel, then he would never have felt some heroic sense of duty to save Castiel from his own mess.

Castiel would never have had to-

His hand jerked unconsciously at the memory of making sharp, bone-rattling contact with Dean's face.

Castiel clenched it tight, bringing it up jerkily to clutch tightly at his hair. His hollow stomach revolted- a sharp ache that left him breathless.

He had hit Dean. The violence-

-and Dean's face! The look of confusion- betrayal.

Castiel doubled-over, the night's worth of insidious memories and regrets returning to overwhelm him yet again.

He had hit Dean! Dean-! The single most important person for him to protect! The most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. His last lingering ray of light in a world that had suddenly turned into treacherous shadows.

Dean was supposed to be safe.

Dean was supposed to be Castiel's meager shred of happiness. Something protected and cherished.

If Dean was kept safe and happy, then Castiel could withstand any trial or burden that Zachariah and the traitors slung at him.

And in one short instance of fear and fury, Castiel had lashed out at him- stamped out that tiny, flickering flame.

And he felt it.

He felt cold, from the inside out.

Dean had been hope. Happiness. Proof of good in the world.

Love.

And Castiel had snuffed out Dean's light. Extinguished all hope.

Castiel hugged his knees to his chest where he crouched in front of his large windows, the ever-busy hustle of San Diego continuing, as if Castiel's world wasn't ending one-hundred and eight-six stories above.

"Hey, Cas."

Castiel froze.

…-^o^-…

As soon as the door clicked shut, Dean hesitantly glanced out of the private bathroom. He followed Castiel's staggering form as he crossed the room. Watched the man as he stood, shoulder slumped, head down, facing the bright blue afternoon sky outside the large expanse of windows.

After a quick check from the safety of the bathroom shadows to make sure that the door was shut and they were alone, Dean stepped out.

Across from him, Castiel's lean frame dropped, a small moan ghosting through the room.

Dean's heart caught in his throat at the pathetic sound.

His voice was a shaky whisper, "Hey, Cas."

Castiel stiffened.

It felt like years for him to straighten, his wide eyes turning slowly to fall on Dean. "How-?"

"Long story," Dean answered, a tentative grin pulling at his lips at the memory. It faded fast at the pained look on Castiel's face. He watched the man's eyes flicker sadly over the faint purple bruise painted across his cheek.

Dean felt a rush of hope as his gaze traced over the mark. But just as quickly, Castiel's face darkened, his lips tightening into frown. "I asked you to leave. Please," his eyes darted away to bore into the lush carpet, "Don't make me-" Castiel bit off the sentence, his eyes leaving Dean's face to look anywhere else. "I don't want to fight again, Dean. I-I never want to do that again." He swallowed thickly, refusing to look at Dean.

"Yeah, me neither, Cas. Seriously," He rubbed his sore jaw gently, wincing. "I just came to ask you something. Just one question, so I...so I can be sure." His heart skittered for a moment in his chest as Castiel's heavy brow furrowed with something like panic and confusion.

Finally, after some sort of internal war with himself, "One," Castiel replied quietly with a weary sigh. "One question. But then I want you to leave me alone for good, Dean. Leave the same way you managed to get in here, and don't- please don't come back again."

Dean felt his chest tighten, but he steeled himself, "Do you love me?"

He watched Castiel convulse from the shock of the blunt question. Blue eyes snapped up to his, suddenly piercing against the matching sky outside.

Dean waited with threadbare patience, letting the silence grow, hoping that the answer, the right one, would be forced into the open.

"Get out."

It was an order. A cold, breathless, pain-laced demand.

But, it wasn't a 'no'.

Holy shit, it wasn't a 'no'.

Castiel couldn't say that he didn't love Dean.

Which meant…

Dean felt the world shift off of his shoulders, a weight that he hadn't even realized was pressing down on him.

His lungs sucked the air in deeply, holding it tight, using it to power his body with a renewed, humming energy. Purpose. Hope. Elation.

He made to speak and realized he was smiling widely. Castiel's eyes were as wide as saucers- he looked caught. Trapped. Terrified.

Dean couldn't keep the joy out of his voice as he whispered gently, "I love you, too, Cas."

Something that looked like dread crossed Castiel's face, followed closely by heart-stopping sadness. He looked away, as if searching the room for an escape. After finding none, he shook his head, like he was trying to communicate how hopeless he felt. Finally, the words poured out, like a dam breaking. Anger and sadness and guilt and exhaustion.

"Dean, it doesn't matter. I can't choose you. I want to. I swear I want to, more than anything! But people need me, Dean! If I don't do this, if I don't put them first, then their lives will be ruined. I can't have that on my conscience. I can't be happy at their expense. Please Dean- don't make this any harder on me. I'm so tired. I've…I've already made my decision."

Dean watched as Castiel's stoic mask crumbled away. The stiff, cold man in the fancy suit gave way to the vibrant Castiel that had stolen Dean's heart in just a few short weeks.

"Please, just leave Dean. Let me do this my way. I can do it if you just- just leave. It hurts to have you this close when I can't-" he stuttered before breathing out, "I can't be with you- and I can't keep you safe," Castiel whispered pleadingly.

"Cas." Dean smiled, gaining and holding the man's sad blue eyes. "You left me first, because you wanted me to be happy. Because that's what love is- at least that's what my mom figures. Well, guess what? That works both ways. I want you to be happy. More than anything. And I know that you won't be happy if you go through with this. You will be happy with me. I promise I can make you happy. I swear it. Not this marriage. Not that crazy tattooed chick. Not being miserable while the company is in the hands of a psychopath. Cas, I will be damned if you think I'm just gonna let you marry someone else when I know you're really in love with me. That we could be happy together. And nothing's gonna make me change my mind. Not even you beatin' the shit out of again or crying and begging me. Nothing. I'd say sorry, but…" Dean shrugged unapologetically and grinned, "You're stuck with me. And I'm one stubborn bastard, Cas."

Castiel stared at him, completely dumbfounded. His mouth opened several times, failed attempts to form an argument. He finally seemed to collect himself enough to manage a strangled, "I won't let you stop me." And as if to prove it, Castiel moved forward confidently, shoulders squared, towards the door.

…

Castiel kept his eyes focused on the door and escape. He passed the green-eyed man halfway across the room-

-just as Dean dropped his pants.

Along with his boxers.

Followed by his shirt in one fluid movement.

Castiel stumbled over his own feet, coming to a stunned stop. He forgot to breathe until Dean was kicking off his shoes and the pile of clothes that had pooled at his feet.

And then Dean Winchester was naked.

In the middle of an his office.

Just standing in all his glorious sun-kissed skin and flowing muscle and…

Castiel choked on his breath, but his eyes were raking desperately over every exposed inch of flesh, lingering in the region where Dean was already half-hard, and growing harder as Castiel watched.

"Y-y-you can't-!" he gasped before snapping his mouth shut and rushing for the door. But, instead of throwing it open and shouting for someone to call Security and bring a straight-jacket, Castiel flipped the lock on the door with shaking hands, leaning against it with all his weight and trying to catch his shaking breath.

He stayed like that for several moments, before hissing quietly, his eyes glaring determinedly at the floor, "God Dammit, Dean!"

…

Dean frowned, his heart racing wildly as he stood bare-ass naked in the middle of Castiel's office.

Well… Cas hadn't fled the room screaming, so there was still a chance getting through to him, at least. And judging by the way the other man's eyes couldn'y quite seem to pry themselves away from Dean's body, he had a pretty effective bargaining tool.

He cleared his suddenly dry throat and forced himself to speak. "Listen Cas-" Castiel made a sound between a wheeze and a whine, which Dean interpreted to mean he had his undivided attention, "I know I've fucked things up. I-I never meant to make this harder on you. But Ash and Sam and everyone… they're checking the database downstairs, right now. All you have to do is trust me for a little bit longer. Just until they trace the money. Then this will all be over. No marriage. No crossroads deal with the devil. The police can arrest all the fuckers involved and the money will be returned."

"Jesus, Dean- will you just- I can't-" Castiel was forcing his eyes to the carpet, cheeks flushed as his hands waved desperately the pile of clothes at Dean's feet, "Clothes- please."

Dean ignored him, instead becoming more emphatic, "Cas, I love you. I don't know how it happened so quick, but it's the truth. All of this," he gestured around him, "It sounds crazy, but it's all worth it. You are worth all this craziness to me. I can't even be upset about all the shit that's happened since you came into my life. I mean, hell, my boss has a dude locked in his basement right now." Castiel made an alarmed sound, but Dean kept speaking, "I flew halfway across the country to crash an engagement party and break into a multi-million dollar company to try and track down crazy rich dudes stealing billions of dollars! And all I can think is that… it's all worth it for you. Because I fucking love you. And, Cas," Dean's mouth tilted into that cheeky grin that melted Castiel every time, "If you love me back…" Dean chuckled, green eyes glowing as he shrugged. "Then I'm pretty much powerless, aren't I? How could I possibly go back to my boring life in Kansas, and leave you here, alone, knowing that you feel the same way about me? You might as well just give up now, 'cuz I'm never letting you go again."

"Dean," There was an adorable pink tinge to his cheeks that made Dean confident that Cas was having a difficult time arguing back. "Yo-you know I can't take that risk. I have to go downstairs. This marriage is the best shot I have. It's the only guaranteed plan to save the company. YOU have to trust ME. Get your friends out of there, before it's too late."

"No, Cas. Our plan will work."

"Just call it off, Dean! It's too risky. My plan is safer." Castiel pushed off the door, resting his hand on the handle as if he were trying to decide if Dean would chase after him naked if he chose to make a run for it.

Dean was desperate. All he needed was more time. Time to keep Cas away from the ceremony downstairs. Time to convince him-

"Wait! My letter! You-you haven't let me read it to you, yet. At least give me a chance to do that!"

It sounded like Castiel actually growled at his words. "For the… Fine! Read the letter, but then I want you to put your damn clothes back on and LEAVE, Dean. No more excuses."

Dean ignored the harsh, desperate note in the man's voice, dropping down to hurriedly scoop up his pants and pat them down to find the paper. He could feel Castiel's impatient eyes watching him, and tried to fight the inevitable- and very obvious- stiffening of his cock.

Frustrated, he finally flipped the pants over and shook them. The letter fluttered to the floor, at last.

So did his cell phone.

About three dollars in change.

And a tiny bottle of lube.

Dean watched the container bounce several feet in front of him.

He heard Castiel's breath catch from where he stood by the door.

Fuck.

"…that's a bit presumptuous, don't you think?" The cold words were bit out between tight lips, making Dean cringe.

"Oh, relax, princess. That's for me, not you. They come free with the dildo-"

Dean's throat suddenly shut tightly, cutting off his explanation.

There was dead silence in the office.

Dean's hands clenched painfully around the cloth of his crumpled jeans, his mind repeating over and over the words that had just slipped out.

He just confessed to having a dildo. Admitted that he…

His entire body was on fire, burning with embarrassment. His eyes were trained on the floor, looking at the bottle as if it would disappear it he just prayed hard enough.

The silence from Castiel's spot by the door was slowly driving him insane, but he couldn't make himself look up.

Of ALL the ways he had been planning to bring up his embarrassing experimentations, none of them had involved accidentally blurting it out while crouched naked in an office with Cas prepared to bail at any second.

Fucking. Hell.

Unable to fight the painful silence any longer, Dean raised his red face up to glare defensively at Castiel.

He drew up short.

Face flushed. Eyes wide. Mouth barely open as he breathed shallowly.

He'd seen that look on Castiel's face before.

At their last concert.

Right before they dove under the stage and fucked like the world was coming to an end.

Dean lifted his hands slowly, noting with a powerful sense of awe the way Castiel's lust-blown eyes followed the movement, and pointed to the small bottle.

Don't panic. Stay calm. Play this out right. His throat was suddenly dry as he offered, "I could… show you…?"

Castiel's nostrils flared, his heavy brow falling over the heated beams of his darkened eyes where they bored into Dean's.

His eyes were saying 'yes'.

Hell, his eyes were already about thirty steps ahead of either Dean or himself.

Dean was combusting under the heat of Castiel's hungry gaze.

A sharp knock on the door just behind Castiel was a plunge into arctic waters for them both.

"Castiel? Are you ready?" Dick's voice filtered in from the other side at the same time the door handle twisted. The lock kept it shut.

There was a brief silence, where Dean thought he heard other voices whispering. Then a more firm pounding that rattled the door. Another voice, familiar from Lucifer's assault at the hotel Thursday night, called out warningly, "Castiel? I swear, if I find you hanging out the window from sheets, I will personally-"

But Castiel was already handling the lock with shaking hands, cracking the door barely an inch to stutter through it.

Dean, safely out of sight of the small crack, couldn't hear what was being said.

His mind was a hazy mess after the abrupt release from Castiel's intense appraisal. He barely had the sense to realize that he had somehow gained a complete and unexpected advantage.

And to keep it, he had to act- fast.

He made a decision.

Moving fast while Castiel's back was turned from him, Dean grabbed the small capsule of lube and leapt to the closest sofa, the back of which was facing the door and Castiel. Sitting towards the back of the couch so that he could watch the other man, he knelt and spread his knees on the cushions.

Castiel's voice was becoming louder, more insistent, "I-I said I'm fine, Michael. Just handling some nerves." Castiel's voice was hoarse as he spoke. Dean shuddered, the familiarity of that voice raking across his mind, conjuring images of pale skin and dark blue sheets and-

Holy-! He was already harder than a rock.

Dean's large, shaking hands dropped the tiny bottle twice before he could manage to twist the lid off. The voices were saying something to Castiel that Dean couldn't hear, but as soon as Castiel's velvety voice replied, Dean accidentally clenched the container too hard, shooting half the contents over his palm, dripping the precious liquid onto the soft couch cushions.

"No, really! I'm fine. I'll meet you all down stairs. I just need… I need a few minutes. Just go."

Dean spared a glance towards the door, eyes dragging over Castiel's slender back and ass as he blocked as much as the room of possible from the outsider's eyes. His long, pale fingers were wrapped tightly around the edge of the door, just above his head, stretching his body up and creating lines made Dean even more rigid, his dick straining for attention.

Dean slipped the first slick finger in urgently, head rolling back as a shuddering breath rolled out of him. His body put up no resistance, the digit sliding smoothly as Dean finally stopped only once the last knuckle hindered him.

He rocked it in and out a few more times, testing the give of his body urgently before poising a second finger next to the first and carefully sliding them both in at once.

His body clenched, tightening at his entry, at the now-familiar throb of discomfort. His free hand released its grip on the bunched cloth of the sofa cushion, reaching forward to gain purchase on the couch's back instead. He used the new, more firm hold to slowly arch his back, rolling his hips just enough to bring the pressure down around his slick fingers. He felt the muscles give, and he groaned deeply as their combined girth created that delicious feeling of fullness.

Catching shorts breaths, he relaxed more, pressing them to their limits before drawing them back out in a slow drag that burned in their wake.

He rolled his shoulder forward gently, bringing his head to rest on the back of the couch next to his other hand. He lifted his head, eyes fluttering open and landing on blue.

Dean swallowed reflexively.

Castiel stood as still as a statue, his mouth slack, the door shut behind him.

Dean hadn't even heard the click ending the conversation with those outside the office, he had been so engrossed in preparing himself. Hell, the door could've been kicked off the hinges as a damn parade marched in, and he would've been oblivious to anything but the tingling heat of his fingers, burning their path inside him.

The sight of Castiel, staring at him as his shoulder rocked, the rest of his body blocked by the couch, caused Dean to urge his fingers in further, spreading them with renewed vigor. His breaths came out in small puffs, an occasional hummed moan as accompaniment.

Castiel moved slowly away from the door, his body stiff as he made a wide radius around the couch. Dean followed the stunned man his eyes, rolling his head to keep the other man in view.

He knew the exact moment that his body came into full view. Something that sounded like the shaking of a mountain just before an avalanche erupted from Castiel's throat as his eyes took in every exposed inch of Dean- stopping with a look of utter astonishment to watch the fingers thrusting in and out of his body.

Before Dean even had time to appreciate the unhinged look on the man's face, he was there- a hot hand extending forward, reaching out shakily graze over Dean's hip and stroke a path of liquid fire down to his ass. It grazed tantalizingly close to where Dean had himself spread open, before splaying out to give a tentative squeeze.

Dean's hand was off the sofa in an instant, catching Castiel's wrist tightly, trapping him there, binding him to Dean and preventing a chance of escape. Castiel jerked at his grasp, his eyes suddenly shooting up to meet Dean's as if he was unsure how he had gotten there.

The confused look he cast to his captured hand was so sincere that Dean lifted his head high and rumbled with victorious laughter. His whole body shook from it, putting pressure on his already aching arm stretching behind him.

Castiel's nostrils flared as his mouth dipped in an unamused frown, and Dean couldn't resist the urge to finally kiss those lips again.

He released Castiel's wrist and tugged on the thick jacket, pulling him forward just enough to bring the other man's lips down to his own.

It felt like their mouths had never been separated. They fit right back together, a perfect match of pressure and warmth, and that something else…

Dean was so involved in trying to place that final element that the sudden pressure on the couch behind him forced him to snap his eyes open in surprise. He flung both arms out, catching onto the sofa, just as Castiel grasped out desperately, pulling Dean forcefully against him.

His mouth was hot, hungry, abandoning his mouth to begin covering every inch of Dean's flesh. He licked and latched on, kissed and nipped. Dean tried to keep track of the mindless traveling of Castiel's mouth, his own hands roaming more slowly, reverently over Castiel's neck and further down, under the heavy blazer he wore.

Castiel shrugged the coat off impatiently, leaving his white dress shirt and tie. Dean smoothed his hands over the crisp material, feeling the wave of heat Castiel was exuding from where he sat on raised knees over Dean's lap.

Castiel worked his busy mouth back up to Dean's, humming as their lips met again. Castiel pulled back a mere centimeter to breath a warm curse. "Dean…" He buried his head into Dean's neck, his dark mess of hair tickling gently over Dean's cheeks and chin. "Tell me to stop. We can't do this- not here. Not now-"

Dean surfaced briefly from his daze and reached out, hand closing in Castiel's sweet-smelling hair and tugging gently until the man met his eyes, "You tryin' to hurt my ego, Cas? Here I am a hundred percent naked, lubed up, and ready to go, and you're still able to think?" Dean grinned, taking the opportunity of having Cas speechless to pull the man back into another heated kiss.

Castiel breathed heavily, a small croaking sound vibrating from deep in his throat. Dean huffed a small laugh against Castiel's, but was cut short when Castiel suddenly reached under Dean's ass with both hands and rocked him into his back with surprising strength. One hand slid free and glided under Dean's thigh and behind his knee, pulling his leg up as Castiel shifted to lean over him. Dean rolled from sitting, back against the couch, to laying- legs open and spread wide- on his back.

Dean squeaked at the sudden shift in position, flailing his leg free and scooting himself hurriedly out from under Castiel's weight.

Castiel released his legs with a start, eyes blinking in confusion as he moved back. "I- sorry, I didn't mean to- I thought you-"

Dean tried to recover, mind racing as Castiel blinked at him, worried. Dean could see the man's awareness returning as the haze of arousal began to fade from his eyes.

He spoke fast, urgently, as he pushed Cas gently, so that he was sitting upright, legs hanging off. Dean straddled Castiel, effectively holding him in place. "No-shit-! No it's not bad, Cas. I- I just-," Dean dipped his head down, face flushing. His voice was a hot whisper in Castiel's ear, "It just…it felt embarrassing… okay. Spreadin' my legs like a- like a chick and all. Feels too-" Dean swallowed painfully, burying his burning face into Castiel's shoulder.

Too vulnerable, he thought, willing Castiel to understand. Go fucking figure. Of course, now would be the moment Dean's fear finally caught up to him.

He felt hands glide up the tender skin of his sides, then ghost back down to palm his ass and squeeze soothingly. It was a tender movement. Soothing the goosebumps that had appeared across Dean's body.

Castiel's voice reverberated through Dean's entire body when he whispered sofly, "How have you been-? When you used your-" Castiel's voice broke like he couldn't even choke the word dildo out. His next words came out so deep and wrecked, "Did you bend over, Dean? How?"

"My fuckin' God-" Dean shuddered violently, body already starting to buck and rub helplessly along the fabric of Castiel's clothed crotch. "No-fuck Cas, I- I sat up…like this." Dean was past subtle nudging and was fully grinding his aching cock against Castiel clothed erection. "Shit, Cas-! Please, just- God, I need you to- been imagining it for so long, c'mon-! Just get these fucking pants off and I'll show you-" It was humiliating to beg, to need something with such desperation that he didn't give a fuck how pathetic he sounded.

Dean reached beneath himself, between him and Cas, and fumbled to undo the man's pants with shaking hands. Who the hell invented zippers. They were fucking dicks, that's for sure. And buttons for that matter-fuck-!

Two hands grabbed Dean's, stopping them, holding them in place where they rested over the unmistakable hardness of Castiel's length. Dean made a pissed off noise in the back of his throat, finally lifted his head from the other man's neck to look up.

Castiel's eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth barely ajar. It seemed almost as if he was praying for restraint.

And that was unacceptable.

"Dean, are you sure- We don't-"

"Cas, for the love of God, just fuckin' fuck me and stop thinking so damn much about it!" The man's eyes snapped open, the pupils so dilated that the rings of blue were barely visible, "And get these motherfuckin' pants off or I'm going to start using my goddamn teeth-!"

Castiel's eyes were huge, stunned. Then, he was moving, wiggling hurriedly with Dean's weight over him as they managed to loosen the slacks, pulling them and the man's boxers down enough to free his hard dick.

Dean didn't even wait to allow Castiel to shimmy the pants completely off. He reached down, lifting himself up, and positioned the rigid member at his entrance.

Castiel's hand shot out, catching Dean before he could start lowering himself. "Slo-slow down, Dean. Gonna hurt yourself-!" He warned, shifting his hands to hold Dean's ass up.

Dean growled, angry at the interruption, and desperate to have Castiel inside him already. He felt the man's finger graze his hole, causing Dean to clench eagerly. "Cas- I'm fucking good alright! Just let me-!" He rolled once, shifting back over Castiel's erection and feeling the head pressing into him.

Castiel's hands dug hard into Dean's ass cheeks as he leaned himself back, feeling the tension coiling as Castiel slipped deep inside, a slow trail of foreign heat filling him up inch by inch.

Dean didn't breath until he finally felt Castiel bottom out inside him. He sucked in a shaky breath that felt like ice in his burning lungs. "Ohmyfuckingshit-!" He groaned out.

Castiel's mouth was against his forehead, warm as he choked out, "I told you to go slow."

"Shaddup," Dean managed, breathing while his body adjusted to Castiel's girth.

"God, your tight-!" Castiel's hands were digging deep into Dean's firm ass, almost definitely leaving bruises. "Can you just-?"

"I'm trying," Dean hissed, sucking in air and feeling his muscles finally beginning to loosen reluctantly.

It took several minutes of labored breathing from them both before Dean completely unclenched around him and made the first tentative shift. Castiel moaned against the damp sweat of his hair.

Dean moved again, feeling Castiel drag a few inches out of him, then back in. Castiel made another tortured sound. Feeling encouraged, Dean started a glacier-slow pace, sucking in several breaths between each rocking movement. Castiel's hands began to move, finally releasing his ass to slide up Dean's hips and sides, searching for purchase along the slick flesh as Dean panted against him.

The dull, aching pain was a forgotten memory as Dean arched his back into his next stroke and felt… bliss.

He didn't realize that he had clenched back down around Castiel until the man's gasping whines filtered into his mind. Dean stuttered out a string of curses, trying rub Castiel's length against that spot inside him again. He was close, grazing it, but unable to press fully against it. His erection was bobbing between them, needy as the first beads of pre-cum dripped down.

He raised himself, before coming down hard. His body clenched down again as he hit the mark, muscles locking up as he trembled. His body flushed with heat.

Castiel threw his head back at the movement, crying out with a mix between a moan and a gasp. He bucked up, straining for more and catching Dean off guard. Dean grabbed out hooking onto Castiel's neck and shoulders for support and hissing, "Whoa-whoa, easy-! That-shit!"

Castiel paused his desperate movements as Dean struggled to catch his breath. He could feel Dean's body around him, shuddering.

"Dean- this isn't going to work," Castiel bit out, "You're killing me. It's- it's too slow like this."

"I-I know, damn it!" Dean moaned against his neck, kissing it and licking at the taste of Castiel's sweat, "I can't move faster, it's too much. It wasn't the same with the damn toys." He slumped, already exhausted, against Castiel.

"Dean," Castiel's voice was gentle, coaxing, "I need you to let me lead, okay? Can you do that?"

"Fuck, Cas…"

"I know, it's going to feel different at first, but I- I can't keep this up much longer. You need to let me be in charge. I promise it'll only be weird for a few seconds, then it wont bother you as much." He was smoothing his hands in circles along Dean's back, his voice low and soft, "Just relax and let me make you feel good, alright Dean?"

He felt the smallest hint of a nod from Dean against his shoulder.

Acting quickly, he slipped his hands back under Dean, and spoke, "We're going to move at the same time, and lay you back on the couch. Are you ready, Dean?"

Dean pulled his head back, taking a deep breath, "Yeah."

The movement was smooth, and Dean was suddenly resting with his head lifted up on the arm of the sofa. Castiel arranged Dean's legs expertly over his shoulders, thighs against his upper arms.

They stared at each other for a moment, breathing hotly as their muscles burned from the strain of holding back.

Dean could feel his body shaking, both from the full feeling of having Cas buried deep inside him, and from the suddenly exposed position he was in below the man. He forced a nervous grin, "Hey, Cas."

Above him Castiel huffed out a small breath, "Hello, Dean."

Dean licked his dry lips, "I think I'm…ready now."

Castiel looked at him intently, as if trying to gauge for himself whether Dean was actually prepared. He hooked his forearms under Dean's shoulders, leaning his weight onto them with his face barely an inch from Dean's, and pulled out slowly before thrusting back in with one smooth movement.

Dean's legs clenched, body tightening around Castiel. He waited, watching Dean closely.

Dean's eyes fluttered open and he exhaled, "Fuck-do that again- just like that."

Castiel pulled back and thrust forward again, quicker. Dean's head rolled back with a moan of pleasure.

Before Dean could encourage him to move again, Castiel pulled back and thrust again. Then again, picking up the pace as Dean writhed beneath him.

The feeling of Dean's body holding onto him desperately as he dragged himself out, and tightening deliciously as he pushed back in, was driving Castiel insane. His entire body was coiled like a spring, wanting nothing better than to complete let loose, and pump into Dean's heat. It was a struggle to keep control. Dean wasn't helping, his hands tightening around Castiel's shoulders and back. Blunt nails dragging across his skin and digging deep.

And the view…

Watching Dean come undone below him- because of him- was almost obscene. Dean was trying to bite his lip in an effort to restrain the noises that were, nevertheless, bubbling out of him unchecked with each inhale and exhale.

Castiel freed one of his hands and took ahold of Dean's member. Dean made a hoarse keening sound, cutting it off abruptly, face red as he forced his eyes open, "Cas-!"

Castiel lost any semblance of control at the needy look on Dean's face. He started rocking in and out of Dean rapidly, watching as Dean lost himself at the movements, trying to twist and press his hips up in anticipation of Castiel's movements.

Castiel could feel his body constricting, building up for his fast approaching release. He began stroking his hand along Dean's erection, eager to draw the man out onto the precipice with him.

Dean was shaking beneath him, flushed and sweating as he shouted nonsense and curses that filled the room, bouncing off the glass windows and making Castiel dizzy with anxious lust.

They were so close, body beginning to seize tightly as Castiel continued pushing himself in as deep as he could manage, drawing delicious profanities from Dean's bruised lips.

He felt as much as saw Dean tip over, his body locking up as he opened his mouth to shout just as Castiel took it, closing his lips hungrily over Dean's and swallowing his scream. He followed close, the combined feeling of Dean's heat trying to hold him tight in place, and his seed shooting warm strings between them, over Castiel hand, was all it took.

He kept his mouth on Dean's moaning a throaty groan of ecstasy as he came in several pumping thrusts inside Dean.

The room was spinning around him, so Dean shut his eyes until it decided to calm the hell down. The heavy weight of Castiel rested over him. He could feel the haggard breathing of the other man, matching his own.

He had the urge to just stay like this forever, mind buzzing and body still trembling from his orgasm. But, after several minutes of breathing as the only sound in the room, Dean felt his legs protesting.

He opened his eyes, blinking at the bright light of the sun beaming through the windows, and realized that his knees were just inches away from resting against his own fucking shoulders. He was bent like a pretzel under Castiel's body.

"Oww…" he managed weakly, drawing Castiel's attention.

He almost snorted when Castiel lifted his head. His hair was a mess, sticking up wildly and framing his face which was adorably scrunched up with post-sex bliss. The collar of his expensive white dress shirt was bent under Dean's calf, and his tie was bent at a ninety-degree angle.

"My legs hurt…" Dean groaned hoarsely, his throat burning.

Castiel breathed in deeply, blinking at Dean's legs, then lowering them gently. As he shifted backwards on his knees, he winced. Apparently Dean wasn't the only one getting too old for crazy couch sex.

"I feel gross…" Dean muttered thoughtlessly, then caught himself at the frown from Castiel, "I mean, from the sweat and-" Dean glanced down at his own cum streaking his stomach and chest, "Ugh. Yeah. Damn, that was…intense. Are you okay, Cas?" Dean dropped his head back onto the arm of the couch, his tired eyes trying to close on him. He heard Castiel murmur something, then the man shifted.

An arm reached underneath his back, lifting him into sitting position. Dean's eyes opened as Castiel moved to help him to his feet. Dean's mind was still foggy as he made to stand, and almost dropped back onto the couch as his wobbly legs gave out.

He didn't miss Castiel's silent smirk. "Not a word, you." Dean warned playfully. Castiel didn't respond as he led Dean carefully across the room and into the spacious bathroom.

Once Dean was sitting with only mild discomfort on the toilet seat, Castiel began moving busily around the room. Dean let his eyes fall closed as he listened to the small movements. They snapped open at the press of a cool wet rag against his stomach. "Geez-! Warn a guy, would you?" He leaned forward, resting his head against Castiel's shoulder while the man wiped him off.

"How do you feel?"

Dean smiled at Castiel's familiar tone. "Fucking fantastic, thanks." Dean answered truthfully, then shifted his ass on the seat, feeling uncomfortably damp on the inside, then added, "And a little… weird."

Castiel made a small sound that Dean interpretted as understanding, and maybe a little bit of sympathy. He felt the man move away, and groaned at losing his pillow. Fuck, he was exhausted. The last few days were catching up to him fast.

"Thanks, Cas. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't chose me."

The sound of the sink running filled the room for several moments as Dean smiled, watching Castiel's back as the man slowly wrung out the rag.

"I should check my phone, in case Sammy and Ash and them found the money already."

"…I'll get it. You…rest." Dean nodded at the suggestion, leaning to rest his back against the toilet as Castiel disappeared out the door.

Dean waited, rubbing his hands over his face to wake himself up. Apparently being the bottom took a lot more out of you then Dean had thought. He was aching in places he didn't even know he had. How the hell Castiel had managed it-

There was heavy thumping from outside the bathroom. "It's on the floor, right beside my pants!" Dean called helpfully, his voice almost giving out on him. Shit- he must have been loud as fuck. God, if anyone but Cas had seen him losing his shit like that- he'd never live it down.

The door to the bathroom suddenly shut.

It rattled as something bumped heavily against it from the other side.

Dean felt his heart stutter to a full stop in his chest.

"Cas…?" He was on his feet and across the room in less than a second. He twisted the door knob and pushed. It didn't budge. "CAS!? CAS?!" He shook the doorknob violently, throwing his shoulder against the door hard. "CAS! Don't you dare! DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DO THIS TO ME! CAS!?" Dean kicked the door with his bare foot, ignoring the pain that shot through him.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! DON'T YOU DARE DO THIS CAS!"

…

Castiel was going to hell.

He jumped as the door shook again, Dean's enraged voice shouting from the other side, "CAS- DAMN IT! DON'T DO THIS! WE'RE SO CLOSE! CAS!?"

His heavy desk chair held firm, wedged between the wall and the door. It would hold. At least…until Castiel came back, after the marriage, to move it.

Castiel's eyes moved away from the rattling door and the sound of Dean's pleading. The TV across the room was flashing silent images. Meg was standing on the stage set-up in the ADA lobby, her white dress standing out against the dark clothing of the judge, standing nearby, chatting with her. The camera panned out to the large crowd gathering in front of the stage, passing quickly over familiar faces.

The counter in the bottom corner was flashing 'six minutes' until the ceremony start. A glance at the clock confirmed it.

There was still time.

If Dean hadn't mentioned Castiel making his choice, then he might have completely forgotten about the whole marriage until it was too late. Dean had almost succeeded in distracting Castiel from his responsibilities.

Castiel had almost lost everything.

A low buzzing sound from the floor caught Castiel's attention. He picked up Dean's phone. There were several texts from Sam.

SAM: We're in.

SAM: Still looking- running out of names. Not looking good.

Castiel's heart was almost jumping out of his throat. They were in the database right now. Why were they risking so much just to try and help him?

He had to move fast, before Zachariah could interpret his absence as refusal to go through with the marriage.

Castiel released the phone, and approached the bathroom door, where Dean was still valiantly trying to break free.

"Dean," Castiel's voice was a whisper, his throat tight. The sounds stopped.

"Cas," Dean's voice came from the other side, filled with so much pain that Castiel cringed away from it, "I know you're scared, man. But, you're making a huge mistake. Zachariah and them- they're not gonna let you just walk away after this. You gotta trust me, Cas. C'mon. Open this door."

"It's not going to work, Dean," Castiel answered sadly, "Your brother texted you. They can't find the money. It was…Dean, it was a long shot anyway. Thank you for trying, but, I have to go."

"Cas-! Wait!"

"I love you, Dean."

He said it so low, he couldn't be sure if Dean even heard it.

As he moved away, to leave the office, the pounding and desperate shouts picked back up with renewed vigor.

Staright to Hell. I'm going straight to Hell, Castiel repeated to himself, as he moved numbly towards the elevator. The King of Hell probably has a special place just for people like me.

Just for people who turn their backs on the people who love them.

…((O_O))…

"I don't like this," Bobby grumbled into his mug, breaking the tense silence of those gathered around the Road House's TV. The footage of the ADA lobby was being aired, while an over-excited reporter was chattering. "If they was gonna stop it, should've been done by now."

John frowned at his friend, then reached over to rub gently down his wife's back. "It'll all work out."

Mary's eyes were scanning the background, past the over-sprayed hair of the blonde reporter. The stage was set-up, with several well-dressed people standing nearby, waiting. "Which one is this Zachariah bastard? Is he there?"

The others searched the slightly blurry faces with squinted eyes.

"He's the partially bald one, there on the right. Beside the tall, handsome man with the long, blonde hair."

"Oh, yeah. So that's the fuck-" Mary stopped abruptly as she turned toward the man who had just spoken. He was an older man, his white hair neatly combed and bright blue eyes twinkling. He had taken up standing just a few feet from where she sat with John at the bar.

He noticed her watching him, and paused to smile. "You wouldn't happen to be Mary Winchester, would you?"

The question had the entire group turning with matching frowns towards the stranger. John's voice was slow, but careful. "Who's asking?"

The stranger's smile never faltered. "Theodore Novak, Castiel Novak's father. But please, call me Teddy." He held his hand out.

…((O_O))…

"We are fucked. We are so fucking fucked."

Sam jerked his eyes away from his phone scowling. "Damn it-! Who else-" Sam turned his furious glare on Frank and the other IT's, "Who are we missing?! There must be someone!"

"Th-that's pretty much it," Frank stuttered, trying to move further away from the Winchester. "There's only about sixty-three executives total at the company-"

"Who did we not try- who have we overlooked?" Sam grabbed the man by his polo collar, "Give us names-"

"Sam!" Jess grabbed his arm, "Calm down. It's not their fault. Maybe…maybe they already took the money out for good. This may be pointless…"

"…money?" Frank asked confused. "I thought-"

"We can't just give up, Jess!"

"Sam, honey, I don't know what else we can do. We've checked almost every executive's account."

"I have a name for you to try."

Every person in the chilly server farm vault jumped as one.

"Who the- Oh. OH-!" Frank's eyes were saucers as he backed up. "I-It's you."

Alfie smiled brightly at the many faces staring at him.

"You? How did you even get down here?" Sam asked, glancing at the wide-eyed faces staring in from the entrance.

"Wh-hey! He can go wherever he wants." Frank was waving his arms wildly at Sam. "Don't you know who the hell you're talking to?!"

Sam and the others were watching as Frank became more and more worked up, but Alfie had already moved past them all to stand directly beside Ash at the computer terminal.

"Could you check a name for me?"

Ash frowned up at him and shrugged, "Sure thing, dude. But we already looked at pretty much everyone that this Zachariah dude could be working with."

"I have a feeling no one thought to check this one."

…((O_O))…

"What do you want?" Dick grumbled lowly, frowning at the floor to avoid meeting Balthazar's eye.

"At the moment, I'd like to use the elevator, if you don't mind, your highness." Balthazar replied tightly, holding his cell phone in front of himself and frowning at it.

Dick flushed, moving away from where he had been hovering by the front of the elevators, waiting anxiously for Castiel to appear. The ceremony was supposed to start in two minutes and Castiel was apparently still sequestered in his office. "To go get Castiel? I should be the one-"

Dick made to move in front of the elevator doors, but Balthazar blocked his way quickly. "Trust me, Dickie, you don't want to go up there right now." Dick scowled at the veiled comment, opening his mouth to demand why, but Balthazar spoke again, "What do you want, Dick?"

Dick froze at the use of his name correctly for the first time since meeting the man several years ago. "I- what?"

Balthazar gave him a scrutinizing look, his blue eyes boring deep, "What do you want? Castiel? Are you still so hung up on having him for yourself that you can't consider the possibility that someone else can make you happier?"

Dick watched as the elevator departed the top floor and made its slow way down. He fixated on it as he answered quietly, "You embarrassed me. In front of important people."

Balthazar snorted, murmuring more to himself, "We'll see about how important they are after this day is done." Then, in a louder voice, "Are you embarrassed of me, then? Ashamed to be involved with a- what do you like to say- flaming moron?"

Dick actually flinched as his own words were thrown back at him, but before he could respond, the elevator dinged, doors opening.

Castiel stepped out.

Dick gave him one head-to-toes glance, taking in the rumpled clothing and skewed tie, his wild hair and flushed cheeks, and abruptly yanked him down the closest hall, and out of sight of the press and guests.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" He demanded, nearly shrieking, looking as if he was ready to strangle the other man. Castiel's face was a hard mask. His eyes were downcast, looking at nothing. "Castiel?" Dick grabbed his shoulders and shook him once, a little harder than strictly necessary. "Damn it, Castiel! Will you just talk to me? You are getting married in less than one minute, and you show up with-with sex hair and-! I don't understand!" He ducked his head to try and catch Castiel's eyes. "He's here, isn't he? Dean Winchester? He's upstairs, isn't he?"

Balthazar had followed them, appearing beside Dick, and pausing to take in the state of Castiel. "Well," he started, "I take it Dean found you." Castiel's eyes closed tightly, his hand rising to rub tiredly over his face.

Dick turned to the blonde man with an icy glare. "You KNEW?"

Balthazar was still watching Castiel's mute form closely, "God, what did you do, Cassie? Where is he?"

Castiel made a low sound, between a groan and whine, but it was all Dick needed. He moved away from the two men with a furious hiss, his eyes glancing around the corner at the waiting crowd. Heads were turned, clearly searching for the missing groom.

It was time to begin.

"Shit," Dick muttered, turning back to face the silent Castiel. "What are you doing? Really? What the hell are you thinking?" His voice cracked, and he said, pleadingly, "Just cancel it if you love him. I don't understand why you are putting yourself through this."

Castiel remained a despondent statue.

Dick huffed quietly several times before turning away angrily. "He needs to be on stage, NOW. Get him there." Then he left, stomping around the corner without another look at the two men.

Balthazar watched him go, sharp eyes curious, before patting down Castiel's hair and smoothing his suit as best he could. "You're going to regret this. I know you think it's for the best, Cassie, but-"

Castiel's hand suddenly smacked away the other man's.

He moved past Balthazar, smoothing his rumpled suit down once more, before leaving Balthazar behind to stiffly make his way to the stage.

…((O_O))…

"God damn it! GOD-DAMN-IT, CAS!" Dean was slamming his fist uselessly against the inside of the bathroom door. He finally collapsed after nearly five straight minutes of slamming his body against it from every angle possible. He was sore, tired, and pissed.

At least, he was trying to be pissed. It was tough to keep that emotion at the forefront, when pure despair kept trying to take over and choke the life out of him.

Cas had left him. He was going to go through with it. He was being married downstairs right now, and Dean was trapped- barricaded, naked, in a bathroom and unable to stop him.

Dean leaned his flushed head against the cool wood of the door. Would Cas come up to free him once it was all over? What could Dean possibly say to him after this?

He tried to imagine being furious. Cas had just made love to him like he was the most important thing in the world. He had gained Dean's trust, making him believe that he had chosen Dean. Then, just left him, lips still tingling, body still trembling in the wake of their sex.

Dean had the right to beat the hell out of him. This was the worst possible betrayal imaginable.

There was a scuffling sound on the other side of the door and Dean's heart skipped.

"CAS?! Cas, let me out of here!" A loud thump came from the other side. Then, the familiar sound of dragging. Dean didn't waste any time. He shoved his way through the door. "CAS!"

"No," replied Dick with heavy breaths as he let the heavy desk chair fall to the floor. His eyes widened as he took in Dean's naked form. "Oh, for God's sake! Hurry up and get dressed. Castiel will be married any minute now."

Dean pushed aside his confusion from seeing Dick, of all people, coming to his rescue. He ran for his clothes as fast as he could, hopping into his jeans and scooping his shirt from where it had been discarded as he asked tightly, "He's downstairs?"

Dick nodded, helping him pick up his scattered items.

When Dick handed him his phone, Dean checked it, seeing over a dozen texts from Sam, Gabriel, Ash, and even his mother. "Fuck!" It nearly killed him to stand still instead of racing for the elevator. He scrolled through the texts, speed reading like his life depended on it.

SAM: We're in.

SAM: Still looking- running out of names. Not looking good.

SAM: We found something.

SAM: We've got it!

SAM: Ash says the money has been moved safely. We're ready to go to the police and press. Say when.

SAM: Dean we're ready. Where are you?

SAM: Dean, we need to call the police. Where are you?

ASH: Bro where are you?

GABRIEL: Loser answer ur phone.

ASH: Dean we have to make the call- where u at?

SAM: Fuck Dean! Answer!

BALTHAZAR: ? What is going on up there?

SAM: We're making the call to the police. Call when you get this.

BALTHAZAR: I'm coming up. Fair warning.

GABRIEL: The popo are on their way are u alive?

GABRIEL: WHY THE FUCK IS CASSIE DOWN HERE? WHERE R U?

SAM: Dean CASTIEL just showed up on stage. Where the fuck are you man!?

MARY: Hey Sweety, sorry to bother you. Watching TV. The marriage is about to start. What is happening? Did the plan not work? BTW- Castiel's father is here. He's worried too. Love you. Call us.

SAM: THE MARRIAGE IS STARTING FUCK DEAN PICK UP YOUR PHONE!

Dean was already running and trying to text at the same time, Dick following closely behind him, saying something loudly as they ran. Dean ignored him until they jumped into the elevator and he was forced to wait impatiently as the lights lit for every floor they sank past.

"Are you listening? I asked what you plan to do. You DO have a plan, right? Hey! Answer me!" Dick's annoying voice was like salt on a wound right now.

"Fuck-YES! We have a fucking plan! The cops are on their way, okay?!"

Dick seemed taken aback. "The police?! What the hell are the police going to do? Marrying someone isn't illegal!"

Dean finally turned to look at the man, realizing he had no idea what was really going on. "No, we- we found the missing money. That was stolen. We're going to expose Zachariah and all the fuckers who are behind this whole blackmail-thing. But first, I have to stop Cas from fucking everything up by getting married like they want!" He kicked the elevator door impatiently, as if it would speed it up.

Dick was gaping at him, clearly stunned. "WHAT-?!"

The elevator dinged their arrival and Dean flew out of it without any further explanation.

…

"EVERYONE CAN-IT! THE CEREMONY IS STARTING!" Ellen's loud voice boomed with authority across the inside of the Road House.

Everyone quieted, scurrying towards the nearest TV screens to watch the live coverage.

It seemed like half the ADA was crammed into the spacious bar, eager to see the event.

The word of the local office closure and impending two-week notices had already reached most employees. There was mass confusion and alarm from everyone who worked at the local ADA.

Rumors were flying. Some said that the layoffs wouldn't happen if Castiel married the CPOA daughter. Others insisted that was WHY the layoffs were happening.

Regardless, everyone in the bar was focused on the screens, awaiting the inevitable outcome.

"Dean hasn't texted me back," Mary stated, frowning at her phone.

Beside her, John and Teddy stared up at the screen. The camera was zoomed in on Castiel's unreadable face.

"Shit. Fuck. Damn-!"

"Joanna Beth! You watch your mouth," Ellen warned lowly as her daughter shifted nervously, wringing the dishrag in her hands.

"But, where the hell are they all?! Why is the marriage still happening?!" Jo whined. "I told you, I should have gone, too. I'm not a little girl anymore, Mom!"

Ellen was about to light-up her daughter, but Bobby interceded, his voice firm as he took a drink from his beer. "It'll be fine. They still got time."

"Not much of it…" John murmured.

There was the sound of sniffling and the group turned their eyes to Anna, who was fighting back tears as she leaned against Lisa's shoulder. Lisa grimaced, embarrassed. "Anna's just worried about Benny. He missed their hourly check-in call." The group shook their heads helplessly.

"I'm sure he's just fine, dear." Mary leaned over to pat Anna's leg.

The young woman erupted into more sobs. "Snooky-bear never misses our calls!" Mary pulled her hand back, face in a tight, alarmed smile.

"Okay…"

"Oh, they're talking! It's starting!" Jo hopped up and down, pointing.

…

Castiel was on auto-pilot, barely able to understand the buzzing voices and the fuzzy faces as they moved around him. It was a challenge just to force himself to breathe in and out. A quiet, pitiful voice was reciting a morose mantra in his head, over and over.

'You've lost Dean forever.'

'You've lost Dean FOREVER.'

'You've LOST DEAN FOREVER.'

"Castiel!" Meg was standing in front of him, pulling on his shirt to try and grab his attention. She glanced worriedly towards the audience before turning back to him, whispering nervously, "The hell, dude? Get it together!" She forced a smile for the many flashing cameras.

Castiel blinked, trying to focus on the here and now. He did a quick scan of the faces staring up at them. Zachariah was standing with Azazel ivy the stage, his sharp eyes locked on Castiel's.

Castiel turned back to Meg, twisting his mouth up into a smile. The gesture only caused her to look more worried.

They were interrupted by a voice beside them.

"Mr. Novak, if you're ready…?"

Castiel looked over at the judge. "Uh, I'm sorry. Yes-yes, we can begin." The judge gave him a curious frown, before lifting it up into a small smile.

"Big day, huh? Don't worry, I've seen people in much worse of a state than you, and, uh," he coughed, his eyes pointedly glancing over this messy state, "It doesn't seem like you two have any objections to being together."

His smug, knowing grin twisted Castiel's stomach into a painful knot that almost had him doubling over. He tried not to look at Meg, who he was sure could also tell that he had recently had sex.

Instead, he moved his eyes over the crowd again. His friends were gathered together near the front. Charlie was almost in tears, her big eyes meeting his across the small distance. Naomi's face was tight, lips stretched thin in helpless dissatisfaction. Alfie was turned, staring at Balthazar in confusion as Balthazar was pushing roughly through the crowd towards the back of the lobby.

"If you're ready, let's get started." The judge pulled his attention back. In a louder voice, he spoke to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining this happy couple on the day of their marriage and bearing witness to their union."

There was a heavy silence, interrupted only by the clicking punctuation of dozens of camera shutters. Castiel finally had nowhere else to look but at Meg as she stood in front of him. Whatever his expression was, it must have been alarming, because she reached out, slipping her hands into his and squeezing gently.

The judge continued, his booming voice rattling Castiel's nerves with each syllable. "Castiel and Meg, it is my honor to be the officiant to solemnize this marriage. We are gathered here today, in the presence of family and friends, for the purpose of uniting in marriage Castiel and Megan, and to share in the joy of this memorable occasion. Marriage symbolizes the intimate sharing of two lives. It is the development of a balanced relationship that is continually growing and changing. Acceptance of each other's differences and appreciation of each other's individuality creates an atmosphere of understanding and trust where not only joys and successes but also sorrows and disappointments can be shared."

There was some sort of disturbance at the back of the lobby. From the raised stage, Castiel could see over the many heads in the crowd. Those in the very back were turning, trying to see what all the commotion was.

Castiel could see clearly.

Dean.

He was flanked on both sides by Balthazar and Dick, as Uriel and about eight security guards were converging on them. It seemed like the security team was unsure how to handle the two executives, who were both yelling at them and pointing for them to move.

Dean, however, wasn't paying any attention to the bulky guards surrounding him.

His eyes were locked on Castiel's across the sea of bodies between them.

Castiel couldn't look away. Dread, fear, and guilt crashed into him like heavy waves, tilting his world and almost forcing him to crumple beneath their weight.

The judge and most of the audience at the front was ignorant of the drama unfolding behind them. "Deep knowledge of each other's feelings can only develop fully with patience, genuine caring, and respect. This understanding of each other can be the greatest and most fulfilling experience of your lives."

…

"What do figure he's looking at?" Bobby asked in the silence of the crowded Road House.

"Dunno, but he looks about ten shades paler, whatever it is," Ellen replied.

"You don't reckon…?" Bobby began, not finishing the thought.

…

Castiel watched in horror as Dean moved forward, determinedly trying to shove his way through the wall of guards. One thrust his arm out, knocking Dean backwards hard. Castiel's breath hitched.

"No other human ties are more tender, and no other vows more important, than those you now assume. If you both keep these vows, your home will be happy and full of joy." The judge looked up, noticing the commotion behind the audience, but he made a valiant effort to continue the marriage without disruption. He turned his eyes from the scene to smile awkwardly at Castiel and Meg. "Will you please keep your hands joined?"

Meg's attention was split between the scene in the back of the room and Castiel. She squeezed his loose hands tightly and whispered, "Castiel, we don't have to-"

There were several screams and a sudden panic from the back of the crowd. Castiel watched horrified as Sam, Ash, Benny, Ruby, and-oh, God-GABRIEL all appeared at once, rushing the group of guards that were grabbing Dean and trying to drag him away.

…

"What in the hell?" John muttered, squinting up at the TV. "Is that-?"

"Yep," Teddy replied next to him.

"Oh my God, are they CRAZY?!" Lisa gasped. The rest of the bar was suddenly whispering hurriedly, turning to one another in shock.

"Now, now! I'm sure this all part of the plan!" Mary raised her hands, trying to calm the rising horror spreading around the bar.

"Is that GABRIEL?! In drag?" Jo asked, her eyebrows shooting up. "What's he doing on the floor?"

"Hmm… He appears to be biting that unfortunate guard's leg," Teddy answered thoughtfully.

…

The judge raised his voice, nearly shouting as he continued. "Th-the contract of marriage is most solemn and is not- NOT to be taken lightly, but thoughtfully and seriously, and with a deep realization of its-its obligations and, uh, responsibilities…"

Dean had broken away from the clashing bodies.

Uriel barreled after him, like a steam engine powering its way through the throng of bodies. He almost reached Dean, poised to tackle.

Castiel felt his heart come to a complete stop in his chest.

Suddenly, Sam launched his tall frame forward, catching Uriel from behind and knocking him forward, off balance. They both went down hard in a slew of flying fist and kicking legs.

…

"OOOHHHH!" came the collective shout of everyone in the Road House.

"I taught him that," John stated, grinning proudly.

On the screen, Sam kneed the tackled man in the groin hard.

"Teach him that, too, did ya?" snorted Bobby.

…

Dean reached the back of the crowd, who parted for him hurriedly, eyes wide and mouths gaping.

By this point, even the reporters and camera crews at the front had caught on to the chaos. The lenses of the many cameras were taking in the fight, and focusing on Dean as he broke through the crowd and pushed towards the stage.

"Say the vows and get their names on the paperwork, NOW!" boomed Zachariah's livid voice from the far side of the stage where he was climbing his way up quickly. His face was red and his eyes were filled with indescribable rage as he moved toward Castiel and Meg. "Ignore that man and FINISH THE DAMN CEREMONY!"

The judge's jaw was hanging open. Somehow he managed to collect himself enough to continue in a shaking voice, "Meg, do- do you take C-Castiel to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you, um, promise to-"

"Cut that shit out and get to the important stuff, or so help me-!" Zachariah shrieked, jerking the judge by his sleeve.

But it didn't matter-

-Dean had arrived.

He jumped onto the front of the stage in one smooth movement, drawing gasps from the audience. He stood up straight, back rigid, his eyes meeting Castiel's.

His face was a mask of anger, hands hanging from his sides, clenched into tight fists.

He radiated fury.

…

"Look, Honey! Our baby's on TV!" Mary cheered, shaking John's shoulder in excitement.

"He looks pissed…" John murmured, watching his son's hardened face as he moved purposefully across the stage.

…

The three other occupants on the stage moved backwards as one. Only Castiel stood fixed, his back straightening, eyes holding Dean's.

They didn't break their stare, not even as Dean stomped resolutely across the stage.

Not as he came to a halt inches from Castiel, his angry breaths shallow intakes of air-

Not as he grabbed onto Castiel's suit and roughly yanked him closer-

Not as his other hand slid gently around the back of Castiel's neck to pull his head forward-

It wasn't until their lips met that Castiel's eyes finally closed, surrendering.

…

The Road House was a noiseless vacuum as everyone within sucked in stunned breaths.

In the silence, there was a solitary, muffled choking sound.

Mary pulled her wide eyes from the TV screen to her husband, who was turning bright red as he covered his face with his hands.

She grinned widely, patting her husband's arm sympathetically.

On John's other side, Teddy rubbed John's back comfortingly.

…

Dean's tender kiss was a stark contrast to his tense body and the obvious anger that he was feeling. There was no hardness to his lips as he brushed them against Castiel's. No sharpness.

Just an urgency.

And a question.

Castiel could read the hesitancy, the plea behind the soft, insistent movement of Dean's mouth as he pressed against Castiel's.

There was no possible way for Castiel to fight any longer.

He was exhausted… emotionally, physically.

And Dean had to be, too. But he was here. He refused to give up, despite everything Castiel had tried.

When Castiel opened his mouth to Dean and leaned heavily into the kiss, Dean was so startled that he pulled away, just enough to meet Castiel's blue eyes only inches away from his own.

Castiel's warm breath ghosted over Dean's cheeks as he asked quietly, "Do you really understand what you're doing, Dean?" His sad eyes searched Dean's. "Do you understand what this means for you? For your life?"

Dean gave a gentle nod, holding Castiel's gaze so that he could make him understand. "I already told you, Cas. You're stuck with me." His lips quirked up into a brilliant smile, and Castiel felt lightheaded. He pulled Dean's mouth back to his and kissed the stupid grin off his face.

There was no way for either of them to know how long they stood there, locked tightly together, their mouths communicating their feelings through small nips, gentle rolls of their tongues, tugs at the other's lips, breathy murmurs, and low chuckles. Caught up in their own world of unspoken words and apologies and promises.

They were only forced apart by the sound of Gabriel's voice as he addressed the assembled audience from the front of the stage. "Alright you perverts! Give the happy couple a damn minute, okay! Geez!" His wig was missing, probably knocked off during the fray. The media recognized him immediately.

It was like the world had been turned on mute, only to have the volume cranked up to near-deafening levels.

The excited shouts of dozens of frenzied reporters and the underlying buzz of the roaring guests had Castiel tensing up against Dean, pulling him impossibly closer, as if trying to keep him and the moment from fading away. Like returning to reality from the comforts of a warm dream.

Dean slipped his arms around Castiel's waist, tucking Castiel's head into his shoulder and whispering into his ear. "It's okay, Cas. We got the money back. Everything's fixed. It's gonna be okay, now."

Castiel lifted his head, blinking in surprise. "What?"

Dean's smile was bright and proud. "We got 'em, Cas. Ash found the money. The police are…" He finally turned his head away from Castiel for the first time since scaling the stage. "Uh, here, apparently."

Castiel turned to look. Dean was right. The lobby was being filled with waves of uniformed officers.

All around the audience, executives- the ones Castiel knew were part of Zachariah's scheme- were scattering.

Castiel spun fast, searching for Zachariah, who was not standing behind him on the stage anymore.

For one terrifying moment, he thought that the man had escaped before the police could reach him. His fears were put to rest, though, at the sight of a dog pile at the bottom of the side of the stage.

Naomi, Charlie and Ruby were laid out on the floor, crushing the red-faced, cursing Zachariah underneath their collective weight.

In front of the stage, Azazel was hopping over cables and speaker equipment, making a rush for one of the side exits. He was cut off by a grinning Ash, squatting down and ready to tackle the man.

Before Ash could make his move, their was a loud shouting sound and Meg flew past Castiel and Dean, jumping from the edge of the stage and dropping straight on top of her father.

Ash stood frozen in shock, still squatting as he stared down at the heap in front of him.

Meg rolled off the groaning man and made to stand up. Ash was suddenly there, arm extended, beaming down at her. "Was that the People's Elbow?" He asked, impressed.

Meg took his hand, smiling back. "Yeah. No big deal." She shrugged smugly. Ash's face almost split from smiling so widely.

Castiel turned back to Dean to find him mirroring his smile. He pulled Dean into a tight hug, mouth hungrily seeking the other man's.

…-^o^-…

It was uncontrolled mayhem in the aftermath of the police arrival. The media were practically wetting themselves with joy at the story that had been dropped on their lap. Many of them had grappled each other in an effort to climb the stage and interview Castiel and his 'secret lover'.

Dean, however, wasn't having any of it. Neither were the others, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere to form a protective ring around them until the police managed to get the press under control.

Once the lobby was mostly cleared out, and the executives identified as loyal to Zachariah were all carted out to do the walk of shame past the ravenous reporters waiting just outside, Castiel finally began to relax.

Dean hadn't let go of his hand throughout the ordeal. Now Castiel leaned heavily against him, breathing in the warm scent of grease and grass that always seemed to cling to Dean.

"Castiel." They both turned to find Michael's pale face as he walked towards them. "I-I don't…" he sputtered, looking around at the sparse groups of bodies still speaking to the police or to one another. "What the hell is all of this about? Alf-er, Samandriel is upstairs. He's asking for us to come up speak with him…?"

Castiel let out a small breath. The day was expiring. Outside the high windows of the lobby, the sun was just beginning to dip low towards the glittering water of the ocean.

It would be dark soon.

The nightly news stations would open up the broadcasts with the breaking story of the 'ADA fiasco'. Castiel was already too exhausted from the brief interviews with the police. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with Dean wrapped tightly in his arms, and drift off without another thought of Zachariah or any of the horrors of the last few weeks.

Dean spoke first, his voice clearly hostile. "Cas is done for the day. Whatever it is, I'm betting it can wait till tomorrow."

Michael's face closed off for a moment before he replied, "This has been upsetting for the entire company. I'm sure Castiel wants to reassure our employees and shareholders all over the world that we have everything under control." He glared at Dean, who returned the look with just as much force.

Castiel interrupted their scowling contest to speak to Dean gently. "He's right, Dean. There are a few things that still have to be done. Let me meet with, uh, Samandriel, just for a little while so we can head off the worst of it."

Dean looked like a kicked puppy for a moment, before he conceded, "Well, I'll be damned if I let you out of my sight again. I'm coming, too."

Michael made an indignant sound, like he was about to protest, but Castiel cut him off. "That's fine, Dean. I-I'd like that." He smiled softly, and Dean immediately relaxed again, tilting his head to rub his cheek against Castiel's shoulder.

Michael cleared his throat loudly, stopping them just seconds before another intense bout of kissing. "The sooner we take care of this…"

Castiel nodded, grinning apologetically at Dean, who looked like he was ready to strangle Michael just for existing in the same space and time as them.

"Fine…" he grumbled, as Castiel pulled him along to the elevator. Dean gave a short wave over to Sam, Ash, and the group where they were recounting the evening's event- read as a cyber hack- to the police.

Sam frowned at them,hands raised, but Dean just sent him a wave and smirk as the elevator doors closed.

The ride up to the top floor was quiet, with Michael standing as far from the obnoxiously hands-ey couple as the small cart would allow.

Dean ignored him completely, taking the few moments of relative privacy to rough Cas up as much as he could. Castiel didn't fight the doting attention, returning the kisses with tired but sweet kisses of his own.

Michael practically dove out of the elevator when they arrived at the top floor offices. Castiel had to almost drag Dean out before the door closed on them. Dean was undeterred, continuing to lavish kisses on Castiel as they crossed the wide expanse of empty desks to reach Castiel's office.

Alfie, or more accurately, Samandriel, was standing tensely at the desk. The young man's eyes widened, his face tightening as the group entered. "Castiel, what-?! You need to leave!"

Castiel frowned at the younger man just as Michael's voice replied calmly, "No, I believe Mr. Novak should stay."

Castiel and Dean both turned, confused, at the same time, their eyes landing on Michael's cold gaze, then dropping to the pistol pointing directly at Castiel's chest.

Dean moved fast, yanking Castiel roughly behind him and quickly backing away from Michael.

"Michael, this isn't necessary. No one needs to get hurt." Alfie moved from behind the desk, hands raised cautiously. Michael pointed the gun in his direction, then hurriedly back at Castiel and Dean.

"I've lost EVERYTHING because of you!" He was speaking to Castiel, who was losing the struggle to stand between Dean and the gun. Dean's wasn't having it, sidestepping to keep Cas behind him. "KNOCK THAT OFF!" Michael shouted.

They both froze.

…

"Where the hell did Cassie and Dean go? Wait, no. Don't answer that. I do NOT want to know what those two lovebirds are getting up to right now." Gabriel made a horrified expression that was negated by the smirk that spread across his face.

Sam rolled his eyes as their small group finally mustered together while the police regrouped to check notes and brief the media out front. "He, Dean, and that blonde guy with long hair headed to the elevator a few minutes ago."

Gabriel frowned. "Geez, leave it to Michael to ruin the honeymoon with work."

"Uh…Michael?" Sam's face paled.

"Michael, the dude whose account we found the money in? THAT Michael?!" Ash suddenly choked.

Everyone froze in place, realization dawning.

"You mean-!? Oh, that son of a-!" Gabriel shouted as he sprinted across the lobby. Sam, Benny, Ruby, and the rest of the group jolted into motion at the curse, rushing to follow after him.

They dove into the elevator, their momentum slamming them against each other in a crush of bodies pressed too tightly in the small space.

Naomi, the slowest of the group, even in sensible heels, was the last in, hurriedly jabbing the button for the top floor.

The elevator doors creaked shut painfully slow.

…

"Michael, think about this rationally. What good would killing us do? Murder is a much worse crime than embezzlement. Right now, the police are linking your account to the missing money. Don't make this worse for yourself." Alfie's voice was smooth and calm as he continued moving slowly forward, keeping his arms extended upwards.

"STOP MOVING!" Michael shouted. "You think I'm just going to go to jail? After everything I've done?! All I wanted was to convince your damn father to let me make the ADA the wealthiest corporation possible!" He was jabbing the gun in Castiel's direction now, eyes wide in the glow of the setting sun. "There's no room for ethics in this business! But what does he do?! Passes me over! Puts the company into the hands of you and your moronic brother! Finds a new protégé to groom!" He flicked the gun wildly at Alfie, who came up short.

"Don't do something you're going to regret, Michael." Alfie glanced back and forth between Michael and the gun.

"Regret? REGRET?! HAH!" Michael seemed to have completely lost his mind. He was grinning, his eyes too bright. "What I REGRET is that I left Zachariah in charge of dealing with this! He should've just killed every breathing Novak at the first chance he got instead of trying to carry out this idiotic scheme!"

Michael was engrossed in his anger at Zachariah, pacing furiously in front of the blocked door.

Castiel felt Dean tense in front of him, and he caught his arm tightly in a silent plea not to try to charge Michael when he was turned away. Dean couldn't move faster than a bullet.

Castiel found the man's hand, locking their fingers together tightly, keeping his eyes trained on Michael.

…

Lilith rubbed her tired eyes. Leave it to her boss to make her work overtime on a Saturday. Zachariah was still blaming her for Ruby's complete psychotic breakdown earlier that week.

As if Lilith had ANY control over it. As if she should have stayed chained to her desk when a damn fire alarm was going off!

But, no! Try rationalizing with an egotistical tool like Zachariah, the biggest waste of breath, like, EVER!

She could have a job anywhere in this damn company, but no! She was stuck gluing the heads back onto fucking statues while the entire rest of the company was either off or at the damn marriage ceremony downstairs.

Fuck this shit.

She shoved her palm against the elevator down button angrily, muttering to herself the entire time. She became more annoyed when she noticed that the elevator was heading up.

Fucking perfect! Fine!

She started hitting the up button to catch the cart. No point wasting another minute stuck in this office with the smell of superglue and polish.

The elevator dinged, and she stepped forward irritably.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

"BACK OFF, BITCH!"

"DIE!"

Lilith stumbled backwards, her high heels twisting under her as she fell to the floor with a strangled shriek.

"HURRY UP AND CLOSE THE DOORS!"

"I'M TRYING, DAMNIT!"

"STOP SHOVING, GABRIEL!"

"THEN GET THE FUCKING DOORS CLOSED!"

The doors finally shut with a click and the hum of the elevator sounded as it began to climb again.

Lilith clutched her purse with shaking hands.

After a few moments of shaky breaths, she stood up on trembling legs and walked unsteadily towards the stairs.

This shit wasn't working. She needed a new job.

Her dad had a pretty good dental business.

Yeah, she could be a dental hygienist…

…

"Line up, facing away from me! NOW!" Micheal ordered, motioning with his gun. Castiel and Dean moved reluctantly, joining Alfie where he stood a few feet in front of the desk. They faced away, as they were told, except for Alfie who continued facing the crazed man.

"I'm trying to help you out here, Michael. Don't do this."

"I said shut the fuck up, you little shit! I am SO sick of you! Sneaking around here, gloating, smug because Theodore secretly chose you!" His voice turned gleeful. "I'm going to shoot you first, I think. TURN!"

Alfie did a slow turn, so that he was facing the desk and windows alongside Castiel and Dean. The sunset over the water was bright reds and purples, smeared with blue-tinged clouds. Inappropriately beautiful under the current dire circumstances.

"Or… maybe I should kill the mechanic first, hmm?" Michael's voice asked thoughtfully. "Make you both watch while he bleeds out on the floor."

Castiel's body locked up. Dean glanced sideways, continuing to squeeze Castiel's sweaty hand, as the man moved subtly to try and block Dean again.

There was the sound of Alfie clearing his throat gently as Michael continued debating to himself who he wanted to shoot first.

Both Dean and Castiel turned slightly to look at him.

Alfie's eyes were wide, flicking from them to the TV mounted on the far wall to their left.

They glanced at it, then back at the young man, confused.

He raised his eyebrows, nodding slightly to the TV again.

This time they looked closer...

…and almost jumped in shock.

The image on the muted TV was of four people. Three standing in front of a set of windows, and one man with a gun aimed loosely at their backs.

They were on TV.

They were on LIVE TV. For the WHOLE WORLD to see.

Almost as one, Dean and Castiel slowly turned their wide eyes towards the darkened bathroom entrance.

Sure enough, in the dark shadows past the door, the small red dot of a camera was glowing.

Alfie's voice was still calm and reasonable. "Michael, I think you should check the TV."

"What?" he demanded irritably. On the TV, the group watched the figure of Michael turning to stare at the monitor. It was surreal to watch the tiny figure moving in real-time.

"THE HELL-! WHO THE-?"

Behind them, from the hallway outside, there sounded the faint thuds of running feet.

Dean took his chance then, spinning around fast and sprinting to cover the distance between him and Michael while the man's stunned attention was on the bathroom.

But Michael saw the movement, swinging the gun around towards Dean, still over ten feet away.

Castiel shouted, moving fast to lunge at Dean and tackle him before the shot could go off.

Before Michael could bring the gun to face Dean and fire, he was suddenly barreled over, his body crumpling like a rag doll under the weight of Sam. The gun went off with a deafening BOOM! before it clattered across the carpet.

Castiel and Dean dropped in a heap to the floor.

There was the sound of more feet, and Gabriel, followed by Ash, Balthazar, Dick, Benny, Ruby, Jess, Meg and even Naomi were ALL flinging themselves on top of Sam and Michael.

For several moments, the only sound in the office were the gasps of everyone's heaving breaths and grunts of strangled pain from Michael.

Then began the panicked shouts.

"DEAN?!"

"CAS?!"

"DEAN?!"

"SAMMY?!"

"CASSIE?!"

"GABRIEL?!"

"RUBY?!"

"I'M FINE, IDIOT!"

The sound of more feet running towards the office had everyone turning to the door. The police flooded in, weapons drawn, as they came to a sudden halt at the sight of the bodies piled on top of Michael, who was beginning to turn blue and make wet, gasping noises. Several officers moved forward to secure the pistol. Others moved carefully to unbury Michael and handcuff him.

"Fuck-CAS! Cas, are you-!" Dean's hands tore over every inch of Castiel's shaking body.

Castiel's own hands were doing the same, his breathing labored, eyes huge.

"Holy-fuck!" Dean swore loudly, bringing Cas's face up to search his eyes before yelling, "Save some for me, Sammy! I'm gonna KILL THAT CRAZY FUCK!"

"Are you two okay!? Dean?!" Sam's panicked voice was yelling from the vicinity of the heap.

"Christ-! Yeah, I think- I think we're okay. It missed-" In his arms, Castiel's breathing stuttered noticeably. Dean felt his the man's hands moving to his chest and fisting tightly into his shirt. "Cas…?"

Castiel buried his head against Dean's chest, gasping lowly.

"Cas-? Hey- C'mon, talk to me. You okay?" Dean kept his voice low, as the worry slipped in to it, "We're fine, alright? Cas? We're safe."

"It's about damn time!" Cathy Campbell was shouting as she and her pale cameraman staggered out of the shadows of the bathroom, sounding more alarmed then she looked. "I thought he was going to shoot all of us when he realized we were filming everything!" She ran a trembling hand through her perfectly coifed hair. She turned angrily to Alfie, eyes wide. "You! You didn't say anything about him having a gun, kid!"

Over twenty pairs of eyes inside the room turned to Alfie, who looked like he was about ready to faint. "I-I wasn't expecting that, either…" he replied weakly.

"Ma'am, please turn that camera off," one of the officers ordered.

"You're kidding, right? This is gold!" Cathy was clearly recovering from her shock quickly. She snapped her fingers at the cameraman, and pointed at Castiel and Dean, who were still lying on the floor, clutching each other tightly.

"Mr. Novak! What a terrifying ordeal- which unfolded LIVE on XKCD television," she added as she smiled broadly into the camera. "This has truly been a day for shocking events! Please tell the world, are you and your lover okay? What did it feel like to have a crazed gunman threatening your lives?"

Castiel made a small sound that only Dean could hear.

Dean gave Cathy the dirtiest glare he could possibly manage and gritted out, "PISS. OFF. NOW."

Cathy recoiled at the order. At that same moment Naomi's sharp voice snapped, "Mrs. McCampbell!"

"Yeah, yeah," Cathy grinned guiltily, making a cutting motion with her hand to signal the cameraman to stop filming.

…

As Cathy moved reluctantly away from the two men, preparing to cross the room and watch quietly from a corner, her eyes landed on a small, white folded piece of paper laying neglected on the floor.

She picked it up quickly, checking around her for witnesses.

And what do we have here…?

…

"Dean…?" Sam's worried voice called out.

"We're fine, Sammy." Dean rubbed Castiel's back as they both stood up.

Castiel was still muttering into Dean's shirt. It was almost too much for Dean to have Cas trembling in his arms, refusing to let go.

He walked them over to the farthest couch, passing by the one where, just hours before, they had made ridiculously great love to each other.

It was like they were in the fucking Twilight Zone…

Several officers were standing by the far window. Dean realized with a sickening jolt of his stomach, that the men were inspecting the cracked glass surrounding a bullet hole. Dean forced his eyes away, focusing on the man in his arms.

"Cas," Dean asked quietly, pulling Castiel away from his chest. "Hey, you okay?"

Cas looked up at Dean, shaking his head. "No…" Wide blue eyes stared hopelessly at Dean, "You-you could've been killed, Dean."

Dean tried for a grin. "Yeah, well…you're hands-down the toughest date I've ever worked for. Please tell me that trying to take a bullet for you will win you over, 'cuz I swear Cas, I'm running out of ways to convince you that I'm serious."

Castiel's brow furrowed adorably, his lips pursing. "Dean. This is absolutely NOT the appropriate time-"

Dean kissed him into silence.

After several long seconds, Dean tilted his head back and pressed his forehead against Castiel's. "Later, okay? We can talk about everything later."

Castiel's face relaxed. He nodded before pulling Dean back into a needy kiss.

…-^o^-…

'BABY, ARE YOU OKAY?!'

Mary's tearful question reminded Dean that- yes- the entire ordeal had been captured on live TV.

"Mom, we're fine. Everyone is fine."

'Oh, honey! I swear, your father has been worried to death!'

Dean almost snickered into the phone. Yeah, his dad was probably worried, but his mother was definitely projecting. "Well, tell Dad that we're all fine. It's over. For real this time."

'Lisa started to have an panic attack! And Jo DID have an panic attack, so Lisa had to STOP having her panic attack to help us calm Jo down!'

"Holy-! Is Lisa okay?! The baby-?"

'Oh, she'll be fine. Didn't even get all the way worked up before Jo started hyperventilating. Then we saw the gun go off, and you and Castiel both just-just FELL-!'

Mary made a wet noise on the other end, then John's deep voice was speaking. 'You tell your brother that I'm gonna KILL him AND YOU when you get back here! Hand to God. I know I raised the both of you to be smarter than trying to take on a lunatic with a gun!' There were voices in the background and John continued, 'And Bobby says you idjits are in for hide-tanning when he gets ahold of you.'

There were more voices and sounds from the other end, then Mary was back. 'Is Castiel okay? He must be so upset! Let me talk to him.'

Dean actually pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it. "Huh?" Beside him, Castiel, who was able to hear the conversation from his place squeezed next to Dean on the sofa, stiffened.

'You heard me, Dean. Put your boyfriend on the phone.'

"M-Mom, if you're…" Dean glanced worriedly at Cas, before begging quietly, "Please don't be pissed at him. None of this was his fault, really, and it's been a long-"

'Dean.'

"Shit," Dean muttered, turning to the wide-eyed Castiel. "Um, my mom…" He handed Castiel the phone.

"Er, Mrs. Winchester…?"

Dean almost laughed, despite his nerves, at the fear in Castiel's voice. He pressed his own ear up next to Castiel's to listen.

'Oh, Sweetheart, are you okay?'

"Um… yes ma'am." Castiel's face took on the same constipated look that he were whenever he was trying to be painfully earnest, and Dean barely stifled a chuckle. "I-I want to apologize, for, uh, for pulling your son into my mess-"

'Oh, honey, save your breath. That kid never does things the easy way when he has a chance to fuck it all up. The stories I could tell you! But, never mind that, as long as everyone is safe and you're okay.' There was another exchange of voices in the background, then Mary said, 'Hold on, Castiel, your father wants to speak to you.'

"My-MY WHAT?!"

'Castiel?'

The sound of his father's voice left him too stunned to speak. Dean was equally shocked, watching the looks of confusion and relief cross over Castiel's face.

"Father? Wh-what are you doing in Lawrence?"

'Watching television with your boyfriend's family. I like them, by the way. Good folks.'

Castiel just blinked, looking over to Dean for some sort of help. Dean shrugged, raising his eyebrows. "Father… why-why did you leave?"

There was silence on the other end, then, 'How is Samand-excuse me, Alfie?'

Castiel turned to look over to where Alfie was being interviewed by the police, Naomi standing patiently nearby. "He, um, seems to be okay."

'And Gabriel? I believe I saw him biting someone's leg…?'

Castiel spotted Gabriel gathered with several of the others, speaking to more police across the room. "He's fine, too…. Father, you didn't answer my question." Dean nodded his head firmly in encouragement.

'I know this is going to be tough to hear,' his father began, sighing sadly. Castiel's face tightened with concern. 'I'm afraid I'm going to have to fire you, son.'

Castiel's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

'I know. It's just that I don't think you're a good fit for the ADA Head position. I'm sorry.'

Castiel seemed to have lost the ability to speak, so Dean took over the phone. "You're FIRING your own son?! Are you fucking serious?! After everything he's been through!?" Castiel reached out numbly to try and calm Dean down.

'Hello, Dean. It's wonderful to have a chance to finally speak to you.' It suddenly occurred to Dean that this was the first time he had spoken to Castiel's father, and he was already cussing the man out.

"Uh... What I meant, sir, was, uh, that… Well, fuck it. How the hell could you ditch your own damn kids like that?! I mean, do you have any idea what Cas has been through because of this? And now you're just going to fucking FIRE him?!"

Castiel was wincing beside him, but Dean was too pissed to apologize.

'Yes,' Castiel's father replied regretfully. 'I had hoped that all of this would play out better. I certainly hadn't predicted today's events…' He seemed to trail off before speaking again. 'I just don't feel like my son is cut out for leading the company… No, I think it's best if he returns to his previous job here at the Lawrence offices. I heard good things from his time there.'

Dean's forehead was creased in deep thought, before he seemed to slowly understand. "You… you think he should go back to Kansas…?"

'Oh, yes. I understand that he was very happy in the short time that he was here.'

Castiel was still sitting dumbstruck next to Dean.

Dean's mouth opened and closed stupidly. "Uh, yeah. Well, um, thank you, uh, sir."

Dean sounded like an idiot, but Castiel's father's voice was filled with kind understanding. 'No, thank you, Dean. I look forward to meeting you when you and my son return home.'

They hung up shortly after that. Dean and Castiel sat quietly for a while, with matching looks of bewilderment.

"Ahem. Um, Castiel?" They both turned to see Dick frowning at them uncomfortably. "I know it's been a long day, but, Alfie, I mean Samandriel… whatever that kid's name is… He's asking if you could help him with the media and the shareholders. And the office closures need to be rescinded. The phones are ringing off the hook…"

Castiel sighed, ready to say no, but Dean squeezed his hand.

"It's, uh, it's cool, Cas. I get it. Handle this mess. I'll stick around and wait."

"Dean…" Castiel gave him a gentle smile. "Thank you." Dean returned the smile, leaning in to plant another kiss on Castiel's chapped lips.

…-^o^-…

Four hours later, Dean was shaken awake by Castiel.

"Dean," Castiel's face was pale and somber, "It looks like we're going to have to record a public statement and make several more press releases. You should just go ahead."

Dean was already shaking his head before Castiel finished, groggily pushing himself to sit up on the couch. "No way, Cas. I'm not leaving. It's fine, I'll just-"

Castiel held up a small white card. Dean squinted at it, confused. "It's, uh, my room key for the sixth floor," he said in explanation, licking his lips nervously. "I've got an extra. If you don't mind waiting there for me-"

Dean plucked the card from his hand quickly, clutching the tiny token tightly. He spared a twinkling grin at Castiel, "I guess I'll, uh, wait up for you then. In your bed."

Castiel's eyes darkened, a small smirk curving up his lips. "That's a pretty good incentive to get done quickly."

…-^o^-…

Just as Dean was stepping out of the office to cross the large room to the elevator, a voice called out to him. "Excuse me, Dean Winchester?"

"NO FUCKIN' COMMENT," Dean snapped, refusing to turn or even slow down as Cathy Campbell hurried after him.

"But I think you dropped this. I found it on the floor."

Dean paused to glance back and drew up short when he saw her holding a familiar folded piece of paper. "Oh shit! Yeah. Uh, thanks." He grabbed it quickly. "That's… important. Thanks," he repeated dumbly.

"No problem at all." Cathy flashed him a disturbingly bright smile before practically skipping back towards the office.

Dean frowned after her before putting the paper into his pocket and patting it comfortingly.

That was a close one.

…

Dean found and entered Castiel's room, his body almost folding underneath him as he stumbled in the dark for the bed. He feel forward onto it and breathed deep.

He could pick up Castiel's faint scent throughout the room and even in the bedding.

Something landed on him and he jumped. Fumbling forward, Dean flicked on the night stand lamp by the bed.

Lucifer meowed, tail flicking excitedly as he rubbed himself Dean.

"Hey, there you are, little killer. I missed you, buddy." Dean ruffled the kitten's fur as it purred happily. "That bad man you tried to eat-up turned out to be a major dick, so good job."

Dean straightened with a tired sigh, pulling his phone from his pocket. His father had tried to call him over an hour ago while he was passed out upstairs. Dean called him back.

'Dean?' John's voice was low, hesitant.

"Yeah, hey old man. You called? It's gotta be late as hell there, what's up?"

'I wanted to tell you- I spoke with that little fellow, Gabriel. The Impala's on a cargo plane, heading your way now.'

"Y-you sent my baby!? That's fucking great, Dad. I didn't even think-"

'And Bobby's gone and let that fellow in his basement out. Told him we'd give him a headstart in fairness for keeping him locked up for a damn week on top of everything else. he took the deal and ran for it.'

"I hope Ellen peppered his ass with a few salt-rounds as he made a run for it." Dean snickered.

'Dean,' John interrupted, 'I want you to, uh, to know- I'm proud of you. You did good today.'

"Whoa, now. Don't start crying on me, ya softie.'

'Yeah, well…Have you had a chance to check the news?'

Dean frowned at the question. "Trust me, Dad, I lived it. I don't need a reminder."

There was long pause, before John spoke up, 'You're Mom and everyone…their not doing too good. The people on TV keep doing a slow-motion replay of the gun shot…' Dean grimaced. 'It missed you two by nine inches. Exactly nine inches.'

"Dad…"

'Get home soon, is all I'm sayin'. Your, uh, Mom wants to see you soon.'

Dean smiled softly, "Yeah, well, tell MOM that I'll be home in no time."

He hung up with his father, and sat in silence on the edge of the bed while Lucifer tried to climb him like a cat tree.

After a few moments of his mind imagining what 'exactly nine inches' had looked like, Dean's gaze finally drifted to the bathroom door.

He stared at it, frowning darkly, before standing and walking over to the phone to find the number to call the service desk staff.

He had a point that needed to be made.

…-^o^-…

Castiel departed from the elevator on the fourth floor and waved good night-or in this case, good morning-to Dick and Balthazar, not missing the fact that they both walked silently into Dick's room together without a word.

That was never going to stop being weird.

He swiped his key and opened the door to his room as quietly as possible.

The bedside light was on. Dean was laid out under the covers, tantalizing peeks of his naked body exposed in the places where the sheets weren't doing their job properly. Lucifer's head lifted from where he had draped himself like a fur hat over Dean, his eyes glowing as he watched Castiel at the door.

Castiel shut the door behind him with a tiny click, leaning against it to catch his breath.

Dean was in his bed.

Dean was naked, and asleep, in his bed.

Something caught Castiel's eye, and he glanced over, momentarily confused.

Apparently Dean had removed the bathroom door from its hinges and put it to the side before getting naked and falling asleep in Castiel's bed…

Castiel had never stripped with such urgency in his life.

He crawled into the bed, tired body aching, careful not to disturb Dean.

For several minutes, he just stared, knowing that if Dean woke up, he would most likely grin and call Castiel a creeper.

Castiel smiled as his eyes tried memorize every single freckle, every laugh line in the golden light.

After an embarrassingly long time, exhaustion finally won out, and Castiel reached out, flipping off the nightstand light. He slipped smoothly under the covers, wrapping Dean up in his arms and melting into the soft heat of his body.

"Mmmm? Ugh, shit… Didn't mean to fall asleep," Dean grumbled, moving his legs and arms to wrap Castiel even closer.

"It's okay. I'm too tired to show you how happy I am that you're in my bed, anyway." Castiel yawned before snuggling into Dean's warm neck.

Dean moved his knee up slightly, nudging Castiel's hard-on. Castiel could hear the smirk in his tired voice. "Seem to be showing it just fine, if you ask me."

"Dean…" Castiel warned, voice rumbling.

"Yeah, I know. I'm wiped, too. Rain check in the morning?"

"It is morning."

"Well, you said it-"

"Dean."

"Okay, fine." Dean's small chuckles vibrated them both, and caused Lucifer to chirp above them. "Get some sleep. I'm not complaining.I'm still recovering from earlier." He shifted a bit, pulling Castiel almost completely on top of him before tugging the covers up. Lucifer rolled down the pillow at the movement, before stumbling over to collapse again near Castiel's neck.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"Can we go back to Lawrence tomorrow? First thing?"

"Sorry, but 'first thing' has already been planned out, remember?"

The bed shook from Castiel's muffled chuckle. "Right. Second thing, then?"

"'Course, Cas."

"Dean?"

"Mmm?"

"…I don't have an apartment, anymore."

"Not a problem, Cas."

"…Dean?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"Do you forgive me for locking you in the bathroom?"

There was a moment of silence before Dean replied, "Yeah. I do. Do YOU forgive ME for stripping in your office and seducing you into having sex with me right before you were supposed to get married?"

There was another moment of silence, then Castiel whispered against Dean's cheek in the darkness. "Highlight of my day."

"I love you, Cas."

"I love you, too, Dean."

They were asleep just seconds later.

…-^o^-…

"Seriously, though- what the honest and truthful FUCK?!" Dean growled, turning to pull one of the pillows over his head in an effort to drown out the text tones coming from their phones. "Can't they give us a single fucking morning off? We almost got killed yesterday, for fuck's sake!"

Castiel made a pained noise against Dean's chest, but otherwise didn't respond.

After five more minutes of their phones going off non-stop, Dean finally lost his shit. Castiel moaned his disapproval as Dean tried to roll out from underneath him.

"Cas, lemme go for a minute. I gotta cuss someone out," Dean grumbled, blinking himself awake. Cas only latched on tighter. "Caaas!" Dean whined as their phones both went off for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"Fuck'm," came Cas's poignant response.

Dean almost choked on his laughter, attempting to wiggle free of Castiel's arms and legs.

"Nooo!" Castiel groaned pathetically, flailing to catch hold of Dean as he slid quickly out of reach. Lucifer bounded off the bed, darting into the bathroom to collapse on the bath mat. Dean snatched up his boxers, dragging them on as he spoke.

"Just a minute. The fuck do these assholes want?" He grabbed up his phone, seeing missed calls from…shit, everybody. Even grandpa Samuel. "The hell? Guess everyone saw the footage from last night…" Dean muttered, not sure if Castiel was still awake.

Several missed calls and texts were from Sam, which didn't make sense. Sam was there for everything last night. What the hell did he want so soon…?

Dean dialed his brother and Sam picked up on the first ring. 'Did you see the news yet?'

Dean ran a hand through his hair and huffed, "No, dumbass. I just woke up because half the fucking planet is trying to reach me."

'Oh, man, Dean.' Sam's voice was quiet.

"Oh, God. What is it now? Is it the bullet-thing?"

'Uh, no just… Is Castiel there?'

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he's trying to sleep through his phone blowing up, too."

'Is there a TV? Can you turn it on without waking him?'

Dean moved over to the large screen TV on the dresser across from the bed, picking up the remote and turning on. He hit mute quickly as the screen flashed to the news.

It was a talk show broadcast, with several women sitting around a table talking. No red banner for breaking news, or anything special.

"The hell am I supposed to be seeing, Sammy?"

'Are you watching the TV? The news?'

"Yeah, dude. It's just some chicks gossiping or something."

'Dean… listen to what their gossiping about.'

Dean did so, moving closer so he could hear it without waking Cas.

'-the sweetest couple on the planet!'

'I can't believe that he stormed into the ceremony like that! I swear, the look on Castiel Novak's face!'

"Fuck, Sammy! I know, okay? Let them talk, it doesn't matter."

'No, Dean. Just keep listening. They…' Sam hesitated before finally spilling it, 'That Cathy-chick, she got a copy of your love letter somehow, man.'

Dean's ear buzzed. "Wh-what?!" Castiel stirred on the bed. "How the fuck-?!"

'It's all over the news, man. They've been reading it on every station all morning. It's-it's bad, Dean. They're calling you… adorable.'

"Oh God…" Dean whispered hoarsely.

'And that's not even the worst one. Cute… Darling… Precious…'

"Me?! Fuck-!"

"Dean? What's wrong? What's happening?!" Castiel was sitting up in bed, eyes blinking wide with alarm.

"The fucking world is ending, that's what!" Dean glanced back at the TV and realized with a start that they were actually showing a photo of the handwritten note on the screen for viewers to read along. He cut the power fast, then said a rushed goodbye to Sam before ending the call.

Castiel was on his feet, moving carefully towards Dean like he would fly away if he got too close. "Dean… what's happening? Tell me."

Dean flushed with embarrassment. "It's just… That fucking bitch Cathy Campbell…" He winced as he tried to find the words to explain why he was upset.

Castiel nodded. "You're upset because people found out about you…?"

Dean's head snapped up. "Wha-? No! What?! Cas I-I'd never be ashamed about dating you!"

"Then, what?" He tilted his head, brow furrowing.

"It's-it's just that-" Dean ruffled his short hair in frustration. "Fuck, Cas! I guess she snuck a photo of my love letter to you. It's ALL over the damn news!"

Castiel stared.

Dean continued, "It's really, you know, intimate. I mean, not, like, explicit or anything. Just… private. Everyone back home helped me out with it, but I-I definitely didn't want the whole fucking world to-WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING?!"

Castiel was trying to stay serious but he lost it when Dean called him out.

"Oh, fucking perfect! I'm having a personal crisis to my manhood and you're giggling like a damn school girl about it!" Dean threw his hands up and dropped heavily across the bed with a groan. Cas was there immediately, curling up beside him, his deep chuckles shaking the bed.

"Do- do you want me go beat her up?" Castiel snickered humorously.

"Stop making fun of me."

"Because I'll do it. I'll defend your honor, Dean."

"Why do I even like you?" Dean groaned into the bedspread as the mattress rocked from Castiel's silent laughter.

Then Castiel was pulling Dean into his arms. He whispered into his red ear. "I want to hear it."

Dean lifted his head, his face a bright red and getting even darker. "What, right now?"

Cas's smile was as bright as the beams of sunlight breaking through the blinds from outside. "Yes, right now. If they're talking about it on TV, then it must be great." Dean frowned, so Cas continued thoughtfully, "Or I could wait until you're in bathroom or in the shower and just hear it second-hand from the news…"

"Damn it, Cas! Alright…" Dean took a deep breath and rolled off the bed, trudging over to his pants in a pile on a nearby chair. He pulled out the crumpled paper, shifting uncomfortably.

Castiel placed his and Dean's phone on silent with a grin, then sat on the edge of the bed waiting expectantly. Dean scowled at him. "You're enjoying the hell outta this, aren't you?"

Cas locked his blue eyes on Dean seriously and answered, "Yes. Now, profess your undying love for me."

Dean's lips drew up, but he unfolded the note and focused on reading.

Cas,

I don't believe in love at first sight. I always thought that was chick-flick stuff. So, I guess that's why I couldn't place what I felt when I saw you that first time from across the room at Bobby's garage. All I could think was, damn, some chick is lucky. When I started freaking out after seeing you with someone, I think it was the first time I realized that I wanted you to myself. It was weird to feel that way about another guy, but then you said you were into dudes, and I realized that maybe I could have you. And I really wanted that, no matter how weird it seems. It took me a while to pull my head out of my ass, but once I did, you acted like it was you who was the lucky one. I don't know how you figure that, because I'm just a mechanic and you're totally awesome and smart and hot as all hell. But it felt right, being with you. Like every chick in my life has been a placeholder until you finally got to me. I swear I didn't understand how miserable I was until you showed up.

I know I've fucked up more times than I deserve to be forgiven for. And I know you'd be taking a major downgrade by having me, but I promise, if you just give me a shot, I can love you way better than anyone else. I don't know how that will work out in the long run, but I figure if I can manage to not run you off by being a fucking idiot, then we've gotta a real shot.

I love you. And your cat. And your omelets. And that tattoo on the back of your neck. And your opulent cerulean orb-like eyes. (Jo made me put that- it means your fucking amazing blue eyes).

Dean

When he finished, he kept his eyes locked on the letter, his face burning painfully.

Cas's voice was gentle, drawing Dean's eyes to him. "Dean, I love you, too." Dean felt a rush of unexpected relief, before Cas continued, "Now, please put the letter down safely on the table, then take off those boxers."

Dean's smile faltered under the intensity of Cas's gaze, a snake waiting to strike at an oblivious field mouse.

He swallowed thickly, then flashed a bright, cocky grin. "So, guess you liked it, huh?"

Castiel pounced.

…-^o^-…

"Good Morning, and welcome to the Early Morning Buzz. I'm Susan."

"And I'm Matthew."

"Topping our news stories for today is the couple EVERYONE is talking about. Just four days ago, in a live broadcast that left the entire world stunned, Castiel Novak and his secret lover- now identified as Dean Winchester of Kansas- were almost victims of a madman with plans of taking over the ADA Company. After barely surviving a harrowing incident, where a gun missed the two men by less than one foot, the couple fled San Diego, driving a black Chevy Impala."

"That's right, Susan. An enthusiastic pursuit followed, with news crews and media giving chase to the two men. As you can see on the footage here of a Gas Station in Riverside, California, the modern day Bonnie and Clyde's first stop was to pick up some, er, necessities."

The screen flashed to the grainy image of the inside of a gas station.

"Haha! Priorities, Matthew. Now, as you viewers can see from the video, the couple was spotted in distinctive outfits. Mr. Novak wearing his familiar tan trench coat, and Dean Winchester sporting a dark suit and tie, complete with sunglasses and a fedora hat. As the two lovebirds have been traveling across the states, the press has been in hot pursuit, sometimes missing them by only a frustrating few hours."

"Which leads us to the latest update. In an apparent show of solidarity for the couple and their privacy, fans all over the western United States have been dawning similar trenchcoats and suits, and leading the media on wild goose chases. On social media, the couple- now dubbed 'Destiel' by users- have become a viral sensation. Sightings of people impersonating the two men have numbered in the hundreds in just the past twenty-four hours, which has apparently proved to successfully throw reporters off the men's real trail. So, the question now is- where are Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester?"

"That's a great question, Matthew. In related news, former ADA executives are expected to make their initial appearances in court today. Also, we speak to the newest face of the ADA, Samandriel Alford, to get his side of the events that have unfolded within the company over the last few weeks. Then, we'll go back over the newscast from Lawrence, Kansas, where Dean Winchester's family and friends recount the cute couple's first encounters and how they ended up dodging a bullet together in California. The man's parents, celebrities in their own right, have supplied baby photos of the handsome mechanic to the eager press. And later this morning, Cathy Campbell joins us to discuss her upcoming novel detailing the romance, drama and intrigue between the youngest Novak and his handsome mechanic, in 'Romance When You're Not Searching for It.'

"Well, haha, that's... quite a mouthful, Susan."

"I completely agree, Matthew. Terrible title..."

…

"Could you turn that garbage off please?"

Tessa pulled her attention away from the TV to smile apologetically at the customers sitting in the booth by the window. "No problem, sir." She clicked the power off, before grabbing the coffee pot to top the two men off.

They talking quietly as she approached, "I really do appreciate it. It means a lot for you to have a chance to…uh, meet her." The handsome man in a tan coat was poking at his food nervously.

The other man, also handsome, was digging happily into his third slice of pie. It was eight o'clock. In the morning. "It's fine. I'm happy to finally pay my respects. She seems like a pretty amazing woman. And with the news about your dad…"

The other man- holy shit, blue eyes- nodded, his face falling, "Yes…It's important that you meet him, too. He wont give me a direct answer, but, Naomi mentioned that he doesn't have much longer-"

The green eyed man reached across, squeezing the hand. "I can't wait to meet him. Even if he did leave you high and dry without any sorta explanation…"

The blue eyed man smiled brightly, his face lighting up as he squeezed the other man's.

Tessa realized she was gaping, face flushed at the intimate display, when the doorbell dinged a customer. "Morning, Tess," Sheriff Henrikson greeted, barely glancing at the two men.

She finished pouring their coffees and setting out their check, before turning to serve him.

"You hear the latest?" Tessa raised her eyes to him, smiling. He continued, "Now they got cosplayers or something pretending to be that ADA couple all over the place." His eyes returned to the couple in the back booth, now frowning in disapproval. The two men stood quickly, heads ducked low as they set their money down.

The blue-eyed man made a small comment about 'letting me pay the bill for once.' To which the other walked away, grinning widely. The blue-eyed man seemed to pout, frowning with his heavy brows down at the other man's money, before hurrying to follow after him.

As soon as they were out the door, Henrickson snorted. "Some people, huh? It's not even like that ADA couple would even be up this far north. Doesn't make any sense, trying to dress like them…"

Tessa shrugged, smiling after the couple as they passed by the front windows in the direction of the cemetery.

Behind her, Chuck appeared, waving to the sheriff. "Did our two customers leave already?" He caught sight of them just as they rounded the corner and out of sight.

"Yep, they're gone. Cuties, weren't they?"

Chuck and the sheriff both raised their eyebrows at her. She blushed.

"What- I'm just saying, they had nice eyes. Green and blue." She turned to Chuck, adding thoughtfully, "That one's blue eyes reminded me so much of- OH MY GOD!"

She suddenly swung around the counter, rushing over to the farthest window to stare down the street towards the cemetery entrance.

Parked along the road, in front of the gates, was a black Chevy Impala.

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...... FINALE PART 2- THE END ......

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(Because I love you all- Here's a fun little Meme-thingy. A behind the scenes look right after the 'Big Rescue'!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...
> 
> ..
> 
> .
> 
> Alright, folks. That's it.
> 
> If you haven't taken a moment to Kudos this story so I know that you enjoyed it, please do so now! I'd also LOVE to hear your Comments. Good, bad, unintelligible (coughLizerd70cough)- send 'em now. If you spotted something that doesn't fit, looked wrong, or you have questions, definitely let me know! I can always swing back for corrections and touch-ups.
> 
> This story feels like it could go on for years, but I actually have most of an epilogue already typed (Spoiler- there are babies). Plus, a few people have asked for some fun things, like a Dick/Balthazar side-story and a Ruby POV that I just couldn't fit into the main story. Sound interesting? Let me know.
> 
> -^o^-


	40. Extra 1: Dick and Balthazar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha... Anyone remember me saying there would be an epilogue next...? Yeah, about that...
> 
> So, turns out, if I'm continuing the story for another 50,000+ words, it really doesn't count as an 'epilogue' anymore. Who knew?
> 
> This is how it's gonna be: The main storyline (The Rescue) is over, and I wanted the epilogue to be the Dean/Castiel Wedding. BUT- in between those two, I have lots of mini-stories I want to tell. Basically, I'm just gonna post lots of fun short chapters about the exciting things that happen post-rescue and pre-wedding, mostly for my own entertainment (and maybe yours, as well). I hate to drag the story out, but I can't seem to stop. There IS an end. I promise.
> 
> Feel free to keep reading if you choose. -^o^-
> 
> A/N: SO MANY requests for more Dick/Balathzar! So, first up, by popular demand- everyones favorite up-tight jerk and the grinning flirt who loves him.
> 
> Warnings for this Chapter: So, in case you haven't guessed, Balthazar's kind of a shady bastard. This chapter could be interpreted as manipulation/dub-con/teasing in the wrong light. If that concerns you, maybe skip to the next chapter or stop altogether.

***One Week After the Rescue...***

"And I expect that everyone will continue to be on your guards, and prepared to defer questions, in the event that the media approaches you. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security just because it 'appears' that the hype is dying down. I will personally deal with anyone who fails to maintain the ADA's confidentiality policy."

The large crowd of leaders and supervisors gathered in the conference room cringed collectively at Dick Roman's threat. He watched with no small amount of pleasure as they shifted uneasily in their seats under his sharp glare.

His eyes stopped abruptly on a pair of gleaming blue ones towards the back. Balthazar appeared to be the only person present NOT cowed by Dick's warnings.

Dick stuttered under the man's steady stare, trying desperately to recover and conclude the meeting. "Ensure that- that all personnel working under each of you," he forced his eyes to return to the many faces filling the room, "are briefed as well about non-disclosure. I will not tolerate mistakes or accidental slips, even from the lower ranks." He sent a short nod to Alfie that he was finished with his speech, before moving hurriedly to the side.

He could still feel Balthazar's eyes on him even as he went to stand against the side wall.

It was already late evening, and the San Diego ADA Team was clearly exhausted- Dick included. There was an audible sigh of relief as Dick finally ended the PR portion of the brief.

"Well," Alfie clapped his hands happily and smiled at the large group gathered in the conference room, "I think that's enough for today. I appreciate everyone's patience and hard work over the last few weeks. I'm glad that everything is finally beginning to settle down. I'll see everyone bright and early tomorrow morning."

There was a general sound of agreement from the many department heads and remaining executives as they began to stand and leave.

Dick watched as Balthazar turned, heading straight for the exit. He made to move quickly and intercept him before he reached the door. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to the man.

He knew what he SHOULD say. He had so many questions...

'What now?' for starters…

'Are you planning on staying here in San Diego?' also probably a solid start.

Or the big question that Dick couldn't seem to get out of his damn head, 'What are WE, exactly…?'

But, before Dick could catch up to the British man, he was stopped by Alfie. Or 'Mr. Alford' as he was now being called since his sudden and unexpected ascent to the position of Head of the ADA.

"Mr. Roman, I was hoping to speak with you?" The young man smiled brightly and Dick had to smother the unhappy growl as he watched Balthazar's back disappear out the door.

Forcing a respectful smile, Dick answered smoothly, "Yes, Mr. Alford?"

The new ADA head flinched at the title, as usual, but recovered. "I know this is… abrupt. But, you are aware that I am a bit…understaffed?" Dick frowned, nodding as he continued. "It's been the practice for the ADA Head, um, Mr. Novak Senior, to maintain, er, one secretary." He seemed to flush with embarrassment before finally continuing, "I think, given my…difficulty… communicating with people, that it would be best for me to have 'two' assistants. And, given your experience as a Public Relations Department Head…?" The younger man raised his eyebrows, the question left hanging.

"You want ME to be your second secretary?" Dick asked, completely startled by the request. "That's…that's quite a promotion."

Alfie nodded enthusiastically. "I think you would be the best person for the position. Naomi agrees."

Dick continued frowning. It really WAS a significant advancement. A pay raise. Important responsibilities. A challenge…

His eyes lifted to the door Balthazar had left through.

It was also a commitment. He would be tied to the San Diego Headquarters almost permanently. The only chances to travel would be limited to the ADA Head's schedule.

For several moments, Dick's mind tried to recall the number of times the ADA Head made the trip to the offices in London…

Alfie seemed to take his silence as reluctance. "I don't want you to feel pressured, Mr. Roman. You have no obligation to-"

"No," Dick answered quickly, suddenly uncharacteristically torn between his ideal job and his… personal life. "No, I- of course I'll take the position."

Alfie sighed with relief. "Thank goodness, sir. I mean- Mr. Roman. I'll feel," he seemed to struggle with his words for a moment, before continuing, "much more comfortable with two people that I can absolutely trust helping me."

Dick nodded in understanding. After the huge shake-ups within the company, it had been a nightmare to pinpoint who all had been on Michael and Zachariah's side. The company had been struggling to hire and promote the remaining loyal employees to fill the immediate gaps left after so many positions were vacated. Only a few people were free from suspicion, including Naomi, Balthazar, and- thanks to Balthazar's steadfast insistence that he was uninvolved- Dick. It really was no surprise that Alfie was trusting Dick to move into his inner-circle. The doubt and distrust still lingered inside the company, even after a thorough investigation by the police.

Dick tried to shake off the creeping sense of discomfort as his mind drifted back to Balthazar.

After the 'Marriage Fiasco', Balthazar had…withdrawn.

He still came to Dick's room every evening- but always very late, with just enough time for them both to go to sleep. But not enough to really…talk.

…or have sex.

Dick felt his chest tighten uncomfortably.

After sending a short, parting nod to Alfie and excusing himself, Dick made the long trek back to his room on the sixth floor. It was already late- close to eleven. The last week had been rough, with most work days ending close to midnight. Balthazar was probably planning to head straight over for the night after a shower and change, as per usual.

Dick couldn't help but consider their now familiar routine. The two of them were the only executives who remained living in the company rooms. The restrictions and curfew had been lifted several days ago. The handful of other executives that were not involved in the conspiracy had moved out immediately, back to their homes or apartments out in town.

Balthazar had stayed, though.

And so had Dick.

He had assumed that once the calm began to return, that Balthazar would recommence his previous antics of teasing and sex.

That had NOT been the case.

As the elevator arrived on the Suites floor, Dick silently cursed himself. He wasn't a romantic, damn it. And he CERTAINLY wasn't going to ASK the Brit to have sex with him. He wasn't 'desperate'. If the man wanted to hang around just to 'sleep' with Dick, then he was absolutely not going to complain. Practically a perfect arrangement, in fact.

Frustrated, he stepped out of the cart, his eyes widening as he glanced down the long hall.

Balthazar was leaning against the door to Dick's room, his familiar pillow squeezed under one arm. Why the man didn't just leave the damn thing in Dick's bed every morning, he couldn't fathom…

But it worried Dick. It was as if the blond man was intentionally NOT leaving anything personal behind in Dick's room because he didn't plan to come back each evening…

Dick forced himself to act casual, even as his heart pounded in his chest. "Have you been waiting out here long? I was held up speaking with Mr. Alford." He passed the blonde man, pausing to open his door with the key card.

"About the secretary position?"

Dick turned, blinking, "You-you already heard about that?" Dick felt his chest tighten with dread. If Balthazar knew about the offer, then he probably already assumed that Dick would take it. The unspoken question about what, if any, future there would be between them hung in the silence as the two men stepped inside his room.

"Yes," Balthazar answered quietly, his face a mask as he shut the door behind them. "It's a big opportunity, being a secretary under the ADA Head. Hard to pass on."

"I said 'yes'," Dick replied, then snapped his mouth shut, regretting the quick admission instantly.

Balthazar's face remained blank, but his eyes watching Dick closely. "Good. I expect you will make an excellent assistant."

Dick waited for the inevitable joke or jab to follow, but there wasn't one. Just silence.

He turned, suddenly feeling angry as he began undressing. His hands were shaking as he undid his shirt buttons and he was glad the other man couldn't see it.

What the hell was that…? It was the same as with every other brief conversation between them since the ceremony over a week ago. Why was Balthazar acting so… distant? What had made him shift personalities? Was he angry? What the HELL could he possibly be mad at Dick about?

Dick had tried to remember what he could have done to upset the man. Had it been because he had saved the Winchester man? When the two of them had emerged from the elevator just as the marriage was beginning, Balthazar had been one of the first to spot them.

He had looked…

Well, shocked, obviously…

But also…'happy'.

Like Dick had done something…right.

Which made made the blond man's behavior since then all the more inexplicable and frustrating.

What did the damn brit WANT from him-?

Discarding his clothes roughly, Dick finally spun around and snapped, "Why are you acting like this?"

Balthazar spared him a cool look, before pulling back the covers on the bed. "I need to rest. The flight to London leaves at seven tomorrow morning." He sat his cell phone onto the nightstand beside him.

Dick felt like he had been dropped into ice water. He watched the other man slide under the covers and flick the bedside light off.

Darkness filled the room.

"W-what the fuck did you just say to me…?" Dick whispered into the shadows after several seconds. He was sure the other man heard him, but there was no reply. "Hey-!" Dick stomped over to the light by the bed, flicking it angrily back on, "What are you saying? You're LEAVING?!" His voice was shrill.

Balthazar didn't even bother to turn around. His back was lit up under the light of the lamp as he replied, "Turn off the damn light, Dick."

"DON'T YOU CALL ME BY MY REAL NAME YOU BASTARD!" Dick's furious shout made even him wince. Fighting for some semblance of calm, he hissed, "When were you planning on telling me?"

Balthazar's voice was tinged with annoyance, "Why on earth would I need to tell YOU?"

Dick sucked in a breath as a sudden wave of hurt washed over him. He swallowed several times, trying to find his voice- gather his thoughts. "I-I thought…" he started, hating himself for sounding so pained and weak. Balthazar would normally jump at the chance to tease him for signs of weakness. He said nothing now, remaining turned away as Dick struggled to speak. "Why are you…angry with me?"

At the sound of the distressed whisper, Balthazar finally turned to stare coldly at Dick. "Don't be ridiculous. Why should I be angry with you? We had 'fun', didn't we? You got to have someone warm your bed for a few weeks. And all you had to do was grudgingly have sex with them."

Dick was so stunned by the snarled response that he had to grab onto the nightstand for balance as he gaped. "Wha-? 'G-grudgingly'…?"

"Don't pretend not to know what I'm talking about," Balthazar ground out, "You made your adversity to the situation more than clear."

"I…I don't know what-" Dick stuttered, mind racing as he tried to understand the accusation.

Had he seemed unhappy? Well, yes, at first he wasn't 'thrilled'. He had never been a bottom in his life, better yet a bottom to the gloating british man. It was embarrassing to…submit… to him. Especially when he seemed to draw SO MUCH satisfaction from the dominance.

But it hadn't been…bad. Pride aside, he had 'enjoyed' the sex.

A lot. Not that he could EVER let Balthazar know that.

"Now that all the nonsense is over, you're free to return to finding a happy 'bottom' to keep you company. That's assuming you're quite done 'moping' over Castiel." Balthazar's hard eyes were watching him.

"Castiel…?" Dick echoed, disbelieving. "Of course I'm over him…I-I don't care about him anymore."

"Fantastic," Balthazar sniffed, turning back to face away from Dick, "You shouldn't have any problems then." He suddenly reached out, flipping the light back off, before rolling his back to Dick again.

"Wh-? No!" Dick insisted, hesitating before crawling onto the bed. He reached out across the darkness, hand hovering just over Balthazar's shoulder. "Hey…"

Dick was so confused, lost in the other man's angry words.

Balthazar was angry? Actually angry?

He was leaving?

He thought that Dick…that he didn't WANT to be with him.

That just wasn't true.

The truth was-

Dick recoiled, pulling his hand back quickly as he choked on the truth.

He wanted Balthazar to stay. With him. Permanently.

The jolt of it was almost breath-taking.

Dear God…he 'liked' Balthazar.

He sat on his knees, staring at the other man's back, stunned by the revelation.

He actually LIKED this man. This irritating man who flirted constantly and teased him and stared at him until he blushed and embarrassed him in public and bothered him all the time and never left him alone and was always trying to find him and be around him and tell him how much he-

Oh.

Dick's face burned in the cool darkness as he tried to breath normally.

Balthazar had never tried to hide that he liked Dick. It was painfully obvious. Hell, the man had trapped him in an elevator just to tell him personally and privately.

And Dick had…

Dick had never quite made it that far…

He had shied away from admitting his own feelings. Had he ever… had he ever even KISSED Balthazar? Like, actually 'initiated' a kiss, himself?

No, of course not. That was humiliating. It would make him look needy. Desperate.

Weak.

It would make Balthazar think-

No- it would make the man KNOW that Dick liked him, too.

And if he knew that- then what…? He would make a joke about it? Tease him about it? Use it to embarrass him…?

He wouldn't be leaving him now, that was a certainty.

If he knew that Dick returned his feelings, he would stay…

Mustering up his courage, Dick whispered hoarsely into the dark silence, "Don't leave."

Balthazar didn't even turn around, "Go to sleep, Dick."

"No," he reached out toward the shadowed form again, this time gripping Balthazar's shoulder firmly, "I don't want you to leave."

"Stop that," came Balthazar's sharp reply as he shrugged his shoulder away from Dick's hand.

"I like you," Dick stated, exhaling a deep breath as the admission finally left him.

"I don't believe you."

Dick felt the words sting against his already raw nerves. "Wh-what? I'm- I'm being serious, damn it. I like you." That should be enough, shouldn't it? What else did the man want to hear?

Balthazar shrugged off Dick's hand and sighed, "You're just panicking. You'll be fine once I'm gone. Don't lower yourself to begging to keep a partner in your bed a while longer. You'll just regret it later."

"That's not-! Don't presume to know how I feel," Dick gritted out heatedly, "I wouldn't be saying it if I didn't mean it! I like you and I don't want you to leave."

Balthazar flipped over and Dick recoiled. He could almost see the fury on his face, despite the darkness. "You don't like me, Dick. Even if you could tolerate my personality, you would still be displeased by allowing me to take you. I can tell how much you hate it." Balthazar's voice had dropped, sounding almost tired. As if he wasn't even willing to argue any further.

Dick clenched his teeth together, sitting in stiff silence on the bed. It seemed like everything was frozen in that moment. The words were forced out of him slowly. "I may have…misrepresented…my feelings on that matter."

He could practically feel Balthazar's disbelief at the statement. "Misrepresented…?" His voice was cold and skeptical. "I assume that is your way of saying you 'enjoy' bottoming for me?"

"Yes, I enjoy it! I said it, alright? I like you and I like having-" he had to take another deep breath before he could manage to say, "having sex with you. On the bottom. It's good. Very good. You're great at it, damn it! For the love of God, what else do you WANT from me?" He was definitely whining at this point.

There was no sounds or movement in the darkness. Dick was a mess of anxiety and nerves. He wanted to turn on the light. He needed to see the other man's face.

Just when Dick was ready to resume his pleas, Balthazar's irritated voice finally spoke, "What I WANT is no more of your ridiculous posturing. If you really like our lovemaking then I expect you to ACT like it."

"I've been very clear that-"

"I don't mean just responding favorably," Balthazar cut in sharply. "I'm referring to all your silly conditions- no lights, no talking, no doing 'anything' that you consider below you. You won't give me any control. It's petty and selfish and I'm sick of telling myself you'll come around!"

Balthazar was worked up into a full rant at this point. Dick could feel him shifting up to a sitting position, face close to his own.

"I'm not going to hang around 'hoping' that you will suddenly begin actively participating in our sessions. If you liked it, then you wouldn't be so caught up in appearing to be unaffected."

Dick suddenly felt Balthazar shift off the bed. He lunged for the bedside light. It flooded the room, falling on Balthazar as tugged on his shoes and stalked for the door- pillow in hand.

"Where are you going?" Dick asked, already dreading the answer.

"To my own bloody room. I'm quite done with this, Dick."

"Don't leave!" Dick jumped up, hurrying to block the door, "Just calm down, will you? I'm sorry, alright! I know I've been unreasonable. I can't- I can't help it. Just…I just need time. I can-"

"Dickie," Balthazar whispered gently, his face softening, "I can't just wait forever…"

Dick moved forward quickly, wrapping his arms around the man and pulling him forward for a desperate kiss.

Balthazar didn't respond at first, as Dick tried to coax him into deepening the kiss. But, after several nerve-wracking seconds, the man finally relaxed. He brought his hands up, to slide up Dick's waist, thumbs rubbing the warm skin. His mouth began slowly returning Dick's kisses.

Dick tried to keep the kiss going, terrified that Balthazar would leave as soon as it ended. As the man pulled back, Dick followed after him, trying to trap his lips back.

But Balthazar pulled back further, forcing them to separate. "Damn it, Dickie."

"Don't leave me," Dick begged quietly, without a hint of his former embarrassment, "I'll stop being stupid, I promise. Just, please, don't leave. Don't go back to London. I'll talk to Alfie- we can find a way for you to stay here. A new job here at head quarters. I'll figure it all out. Please- stay with me?" His voice cracked, arms tightening around the man as he leaned into his chest, breathing against the soft fabric of his t-shirt.

"I want to believe you…"

"I'm serious," Hope was sparking in Dick's chest, "You want the light on? That's fine. Talking? Say whatever you want- I won't tell you to stop. Anything-!"

"I want you to look at me."

Dick felt his heart stutter, "Wh-what?"

Balthazar rolled his eyes. "Eye contact, Dickie. It's not like I'm asking for bondage or a threesome."

Dick stared at the man now as the blue eyes held his. "Christ-" Dick wheezed, face on fire.

"Cursing? That's also a good start. We can add that in there, too." The barest hint of the familiar grin turned up the corners of Balthazar's lips.

Dick nodded quickly, forcing his discomfort down. "Okay. That's…okay."

Balthazar watched Dick closely. After a few more moments, he nodded slowly, turning back to the bed.

Dick followed, breathing shallowly. He tried to regain his composure while the other man's back was to him. He was afraid that any sign of reluctance or hesitance would cause the man to leave-permanently this time. Dick had to ignore the crippling fear that was shooting through him. Balthazar was right- none of the things he was asking for were necessarily erotic or embarrassing. Simple things like sex with the lights on and dirty talk had never been a problem for Dick in his past relationships.

It was just-

Balthazar.

Everything about the man twisted knots in Dick's stomach. Amplified his emotions and left him feeling…vulnerable.

The idea of Balthazar seeing him out of control and helpless made his heart stutter painfully in his chest.

They stripped off their pajamas, and Dick crawled into the bed first, keeping his eyes trained on the comforter. Balthazar joined him, chuckling as Dick flinched visibly at the first touch of bare skin on bare skin.

Dick frowned at the sound, but caught himself quickly, forcing his scowl back.

Balthazar shifted his lithe frame, lowering his weight over Dick's flushing body, trapping the man as he planted a series of soft kisses across his warm cheeks and neck.

Dick began to slowly relax, allowing the distraction of Balthazar's mouth to keep him from overthinking the fact that he could SEE the man. See the clear enjoyment on his face as he kept his eyes locked onto Dick.

Dick almost choked as Balthazar's hand reached down to stroke him. He was painfully hard almost instantly, feeling lightheaded at the sudden arousal that swept over him and the blood rushed from his brain. He broke away from their kisses to inhale sharply. Balthazar dipped his head down, searching for more available flesh to lavish his tongue across. Dick squirmed beneath him, entire body tightening as the man's hand continued the loose strokes along his rigid cock. He was panting loudly, the sounds filling the dimly lit room as he stared dazedly up, past Balthazar's blond head and shoulders, at the plain ceiling and willed his body under control. He was teetering, already well past the point of acceptable enjoyment. At any moment the man would begin to gloat-

"Do you know what I like best about your body, Dickie?"

Dick cursed silently to himself, trying to keep his features blank.

The hand on his throbbing cock stilled.

A weak, keening sound escaped Dick's lips as his hips bucked helplessly into Balthazar's hand, desperate for more friction. He resisted the overwhelming urge to snap angrily at the man.

"Hmmm, Dickie?"

"Wh-what-?" He barely managed. Balthazar was dragging his teeth along Dick's collarbone, nipping playfully then licking at the stinging skin. Dick shuddered at the sensation.

"I like your hip bones," Balthazar was suddenly sliding down to said hipbones, his warm breath ghosting over the trail of course hair leading down past his navel. "Right here," the man purred against his tingling skin. "Do you know, you have the sexiest pelvis I have ever had the pleasure of licking-"

"…ohnofuck-" Dick murmured, huffing helplessly to the ceiling as he tried to slide his hips closer to Balthazar's hot mouth. He was seeing bright stars- trying to blink them away as heat knotted in his belly. Every inch of his skin was in fire where Balthazar touched it with his hands and mouth.

But Balthazar ignored Dick's twitching member. Instead, he dropped his mouth down to plant a soft kiss on Dick's left protruding hip bone, then the right. He mouth turned firmer, tongue stroking out to trace the bone. He suddenly nipped once, making Dick jump. "Couldn't hear that, Dickie…?"

"Shit-!" Dick hissed past his clenched teeth, before curling his lips together to moan deeply. HIs hands were twisting tightly in the sheets at his sides. Dick was gone already and the bastard licking his pelvis was still completely in control. He knew the man was aware of how turned on he was. Dick's cock was rubbing eagerly against Balthazar's coarse cheek, demanding attention.

Dick felt a rush of petulance sweep over him. He reached one of his hands down to fist in Balthazar's short hair. "Hey-! C-come on-! -gasp- Pleasehurryupnotgonnalast-!"

Dick sucked in several short breaths, his eyes watering at the feeling of Balthazar's warm puffing breath so close to his dick as the man chuckled deeply. "Heavens, Dickie, that's quite an invitation…"

"Don't DO that-!" Dick pleaded with heavy breaths, his mind reeling from want and humiliation, "Don't mock me-! I can't-! Just PLEASE-" He couldn't articulate what he wanted between his gasps as Balthazar trailed his lips and tongue over everything BUT his throbbing erection. Instead, he gave up on speaking and spread his shaking legs wide, rolling his hips back.

There was a moment of no sound or movement after the plea. Dick squeezed his eyes shut, throwing his heavy arm over his face.

"Damn-damn-damn-" he cursed lowly, just KNOWING that Balthazar was grinning from ear to ear at the desperation he was showing. He wanted to lash out in frustration and embarrassment. To rave angrily at the man and order him to shut up and take care of the mind numbing state of his erection. Already he knew that he wasn't going to be able to meet Balthazar's eye for weeks.

They had only just begun and Dick was already about to call off their agreement. Only the knowledge that Balthazar would storm out and leave him a panting mess kept Dick from berating the man.

Balthazar hummed lightly from the vicinity of Dick's groin, "You have no idea how magnificent you look right now, Dickie."

Dick whimpered helplessly.

The bed shifted, but Dick kept his face covered. He would never survive seeing Balthazar's smug face at that moment. It was setting him on fire just knowing that the other man had a complete, unhindered view of every bare, blushing inch of his sweating flesh as it was.

He felt Balthazar's weight return, sliding hotly over him, and startling a moan. Their was the distinct sound of movement and a bottle cap being popped. He kept his face covered. His dick twitched eagerly against Balthazar's warm stomach resting above him, between his bent legs, the other man's own hard member already rubbing teasingly against Dick's spread ass.

He felt the wet warmth of a finger graze over his tight entrance and dissolved instantly into fevered cursing.

The digit pressed in slowly, and Dick sucked in air shakily at the strange sensation. It still felt weird and wrong, even after bottoming several times now. And he knew that one finger was nothing compared to the sensation of Balthazar- all of him- sliding inside.

Dick clenched his muscles involuntarily and made a distressed sound as the second finger slipped in, joining the first. He rocked his hips, knowing that the right pressure in just the right spot would-

"OHHH-fuckfuckfuck-!"

Balthazar's voice was gentle, but edged with strain as he asked, "What do you want me to do, Dickie?"

"Fuckingsonofabitch-"

"Now, now, Dickie. Cursing is lovely, but so is using our words…"

"Pleasejustgetthefuckinsideofmeyouroyalass-!" Dick bit out from under his arm in one sobbing breath. God- he was going to come. He was actually shaking from trying to hold back his orgasm. If he came now- just from this, he'd never live it down. Trying to grasp at the last threads of control, Dick managed to choke out, "Please, just hurry-! I can't- I'm not going to last-!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely…"

Dick would have swung at the man's smug tone, but his free hand was paralyzed where it still clung tightly to he bedding. The other remained draped over his burning face- the only barrier between him and the other man.

The fingers were suddenly removed, causing Dick to groan and tremble from their absence. They were quickly replaced by the blunt head of Balthazar's hard cock. Dick's legs raised eagerly, hooking over the blond man's shoulders to help accommodate the position.

Balthazar's breathy chuckles were suddenly right beside Dick's ear, making him catch his breath. The slick rounded head pressed in just barely past the tight ring- and stopped there, at the entrance.

"Dickie…" Balthazar's voice sang softly as he planted kisses across the arm covering Dick's burning face. "We had an agreement…"

"I-I can't-" Dick tried to explain as he wiggled his ass to get more of the delicious pressure. It was almost…almost enough…

"Unh-uh, Dickie, darling," Balthazar chastised at the movement, "Come on, now. Don't be shy."

"Just-just-FUCK-!" Dick flung his arms out, keeping his eyes shut tight and his head turned as he grabbed blindly at Balthazar's hips, trying to pull them forward and into him.

"Dickie," Balthazar growled, the humor draining from his voice, replaced by tenuous control and wrecked hunger. "Open. Your. DAMN. EYES."

Dick forced his watery eyes open, blinking at the far wall beside the bed.

"Good," he soothed, "Now, look at me, Dickie."

Dick's eyes shifted helplessly until he was facing the man, their eyes locking together and holding.

The British man looked…wrecked. His eyes were dark with lust, a thin sheet of sweat glistening across his brow. His mouth was tilted in a predatory half-smile.

It was the most obscene face Dick had ever witnessed.

In that same moment, Balthazar made one, smooth thrust forward, suddenly filling Dick completely.

Dick's eyes widened, mouth falling open in a moan as Balthazar's eyes clenched tightly together, a flash of pleasure and pain crossing his tight features. But, almost just as quickly his eyes re-opened, twinkling bright blue locking back on to Dick's.

The man's hand reached out, working up and down his cock- but it was unnecessary. As soon as he was touched, Dick had already started locking up under the pressure of his orgasm finally rolling over him.

Dick shattered, head rolling back as he shouted wordlessly, blunt nails scraping and slipping over Balthazar's bare flesh looking for anything he grip or hold onto in as his body shook and jerked with convulsions. His cock jerked, shooting out his seed in spurts that wracked his entire body.

His entire frame shook from the heated waves as they rolled over him relentlessly, trying to ride out the mind-numbing burst of pleasure. It seemed to continue for an eternity, sensation building on sensation as his body quaked helplessly.

Somewhere in the haze it occurred to him belatedly that Balthazar was thrusting into him in hard, wild pumps striking mercilessly against his prostate and dragging his orgasm out- extending it even longer.

The British man finally came with a ragged shout, emptying himself inside Dick with several staggered thrusts.

Dick's muscles continued clenching and unclenching around him as the man slowed to a weak stop, collapsing heavily onto him.

Both men gasped as if they had sprinted a mile. Dick felt small shudders of lingering pleasure ripple through him, his mind buzzing. He felt disoriented, unable to hold onto his liquid thoughts.

He blinked to put the scattered pieces of his mind back together.

He was in a bed, damp sheets tangled beneath him.

He was covered in… Balthazar, who was groaning through his own panting breaths. The man's soft hair was tickling his chin.

Dick felt a bubble of giddy laughter work it's way up his chest, but choked on it as his throat closed painfully. Had he been yelling…?

His legs twanged painfully in their awkward positions, and he shifted them down bonelessly.

"Ughh-" Balthazar grumbled, as Dick unconsciously clenched around his sensitive cock, which was still inside him.

Dick blinked, frowning at the sensation of Balthazar slipping himself out. Balthazar's head lifted inches from his own, blue eyes catching his. The blonde man shifted up, bringing their mouths together for a tired kiss. Dick tilted forward and returned it feebly, before letting his head fall back onto the pillows, eyes closing.

After another silent several minute, in which Dick almost drifted off, there was movement, the bed shifting gently. Dick made an unhappy pouting sound at the feeling of Balthazar's warm body moving temporarily away from his, then a cool wipe-cloth was run briefly over Dick's sticky stomach. Dick grunted, but his eyelids felt too heavy to lift. A few moments later, he felt Balthazar roll to the side again and heard the sound of the nearby light clicking off.

Warm arms gathered him up into an embrace. Dick didn't resist, his fluid limbs shifting easily as Balthazar arranged them both. "Are you comfortable?" Balthazar's voice brushed against his ear.

Dick hummed, mumbling, "Fine…"

"Dickie…?"

"Mmm…?" Dick grunted, as sleep closed in fast around him.

"I'll stay with you," Balthazar whispered softly behind him, his lips brushing over Dick's jaw.

"…good." Dick managed, just as unconsciousness slipped over him.

…

Dick was an aching mess as he staggered into the elevator and headed up to the ADA Head's office. He was late, sore, exhausted, and only able to croak dryly through his sore throat.

Balthazar had been so chipper that morning, Dick had almost cursed him straight to hell. Once the man had finally left (after spending a parting five minutes emphatically kissing Dick good-bye before returning to his own room), Dick had stumbled into the shower and struggled to dress himself, already running late by the time he made it out of the room.

He had just been asked to become the new ADA Head's secretary the day before and he was already fucking it up magnificently.

But, at least Balthazar had agreed to stay, Dick reminded himself. He felt a small fluttering in his chest as the elevator began its ascent.

They were together- officially now. Balthazar wasn't going to leave.

Dick smiled stupidly to himself, glad of the privacy of the elevator. He couldn't be seen in this happy state. People would talk…

But, for now…

Dick's face split into a wide grin.

As soon as the doors slid open, Dick was scowling, eyes scanning the workers as he passed the many desks. No one appeared to notice his newfound state of bliss, which he was grateful for. He had a reputation to defend.

As soon as he entered the ADA Head's office, mouth forming the words for an apology, he froze.

Balthazar's bright smile greeted him from where he was sitting on one of the sofas.

Dick blinked at the man, confused.

"Oh, good, you made it." Alfie smiled from the other sofa where he and Naomi sat patiently, across from Balthazar. "Balthazar explained that you would be running late this morning. Please have a seat so we can begin covering your new duties."

Dick didn't move. "W-what is he doing here?" He asked hoarsely, pointing dumbly at Balthazar who was still grinning innocently at him.

Naomi and Alfie looked at Balthazar, then back at Dick.

"He's my other new secretary…?" Alfie answered, "I thought I mentioned yesterday- I would like to have 'two'."

Dick felt every muscle in his body lock-up with dread. "B-But…Naomi," Dick began, turning his wide-eyes desperately to the older woman.

"I'm retiring in a few weeks, Mr. Roman. Balthazar has agreed to be my replacement."

The lingering shreds of his control were slipping away quickly, "Wh-when was that decided…?" Dick demanded. He felt the hand at his side quiver dangerously.

Balthazar answered smoothly from where he sat, "Last week. I asked them not to tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise."

Dick stared at the man. Balthazar beamed back at him, his eyes bright and twinkling in the morning light from the windows.

Dick's voice was weak, edged with a hint of rising terror, "But, you…you said you were scheduled to fly back to Britain this morning."

Both Alfie and Naomi turned from Dick's pale face to Balthazar's relaxed form, eyebrows raised.

Balthazar's tone was deceptively light, but his sharp eyes never left Dick's. "I may have 'misrepresented' my intentions to leave."

Dick's mouth fell open- his own words from the previous night abruptly thrown back at him.

The room spun dangerously. For a moment, Dick thought he was going to pass out.

Balthazar's smile widened as he continued, grinning like an alligator swimming gleefully towards its drowning prey, "We're going to be so happy together, Dickie."


	41. Extra 2: The Return

***9 Days After the Rescue…***

"Shit," Dean cursed as he hung up, "Sam says the news crews are camped out at every route into the city. It's been over a week. The fuck do they even want?" Dean thumped the steering wheel of the Impala in frustration. They were parked in the lot of a gas station two cities away from Lawrence.

"A shot of us kissing, probably," Castiel answered grimly from the passenger seat, eyes trained on the crumbling gas station wall in front of them.

Dean turned to him, mouth curving up into a grin, "Well, if that's all…"

Castiel spared him a look of exasperation, "Dean, this is serious. I tried to tell you- we're going to be in the public eye until they find something more interesting to cover. They'll start with just a few pictures of us kissing, then, next thing we know, they'll be doctored photos of us having sex and things like that. It's going to be very… stressful."

"Hmm…yeah. Yeah, I guess that's gonna get annoying fast."

"Annoying? Dean, being the focus of the entire world's attention is a significant burden," Castiel's face drew up, a look Dean had learned to recognize as guilt. In a quieter voice, he said, "I don't want you and your family to be exposed to this nonsense."

Dean barked a laugh, "Seems everyone else is handling it pretty damn well, if you ask me. Can you believe how much my baby photos sold for? And Mom and Dad agreed to cut me in twenty percent!"

"Dean…"

Dean turned towards the gloomy man, letting his smile fade as he took a hold of Castiel's hand. "Cas," Dean waited until Castiel met his eye, "There is NOTHING that is going to make me regret being with you. Stop worrying. I told you before- you're stuck with me."

He leaned forward, ducking in for a soft kiss, which Castiel met halfway.

"In the meantime," Dean continued when they broke apart, "We might as well cash in on the celebrity status." He grinned cheekily. Castiel rolled his eyes, biting back a small smile.

He turned his attention back to frowning at the brick wall and sighed, "I'm more concerned about getting into Lawrence with as little fuss as possible."

"Oh, don't stress that," Dean replied, leaning back in the front seat and getting comfortable, "Sam's got a plan. He and Bobby are on their way now."

Castiel's brow furrowed, Dean's smug smile making him nervous, "Should I be worried…?"

"Nah, it's fine. Just a little 'Kansas City Shuffle'." Dean shut his eyes, smirking as he waited patiently.

Castiel stared intently at the man's resting face for several seconds. "Dean…I don't understand that reference."

…

"Who's this?"

The group of reporters from several different stations all craned their necks in the direction of the approaching vehicle.

They relaxed when they recognized the filthy, beat-up truck driven by a scowling older man. "Stand down- it's just that old redneck that came through earlier." The reporters returned to their folding chairs and tents as the truck passed by. The driver flicked them off as he passed.

"Charming," one of the reporters snickered as she returned to fixing her wilted hair, "I can't wait to go back to California. These Kansas locals are so… uncivilized. And this humidity! It's an absolute nightmare-"

"I SEE THEM!" Came the garbled shout of a reporter who had been stationed several miles down the road with a radio. Far down the long stretch of road in the distance, the sun gleamed off of a black Chevy Impala. The now disappearing beat-up truck was completely forgotten as chairs were upended as bodies flew to get in position.

As the vehicle neared, the camera crews and reporters flooded to it, zooming in as they all-but pressed themselves against the windows.

"Who the hell…?" One of the reporters muttered, "Isn't that the Winchester man's brother?"

The news crews watched in confusion as Sam Winchester drove slowly past them, waving with a bright smile at their confused faces. The cameras scanned the passenger and back seats, but the rest of the vehicle was empty. It continued down the road and out of sight, leaving the confused reporters staring stupidly after it.

"You…you don't think they were in the trunk, do you…?" Someone asked the group at large.

…

"Dean," Castiel muttered quietly after they both tried to brace themselves as the old truck turned another corner. Both men slid almost two feet sideways.

Dean turned from where he lay beside the man, under Bobby's thick blue tarp in the bed of the pick-up. "I know- genius, right?"

Castiel was silent for several moments, staring at Dean's proudly beaming face in the blue shadows.

There were twigs digging into his ass. Soggy dead leaves were soaking stains into his clothes. The smell of mildew and rust was strong. Every bump in the road or sharp turn had both of them popping up and sliding uncontrollably between a disassembled pushing lawn mower and an ancient tool box.

There had to be at least a DOZEN easier ways to be smuggled into Lawrence…

Castiel reached his hand over, intertwining his fingers with Dean's. "…yes, Dean. I am very impressed."

"Yeah, you are," Dean replied smugly from beside him, scooting closer as they continued twisted and sliding down the bumpy road.

…-^o^-…

The following day…

"I'm serious, Sam. You can move back into the house. Cas is totally freaked that you left just because of him. Plus, Mom and Dad have parked the camper over at Bobby's. Cas thinks he's inconveniencing everyone."

"Dean, it's no big deal. I spend most of my time a Jess's place anyway. You two 'honeymooners' just enjoy having the house to yourself."

Dean huffed irritably in response, taking a sip of his beer.

The Road House was packed. Ellen actually had to close it to the general public to have the 'Welcome Back' celebration. It was mostly to keep the media out. Still, it seemed like half of Lawrence was crammed inside the building and even out into the expansive back lot.

"You two doing okay? I heard the reporters are still hassling you?" Sam gave Dean one of his 'you know I'm here if you need me' looks. Ever since the couple's secret return the day before, it had been a media frenzy. Cas had barely managed to get into the office that morning because of the sheer amount of reporters trying to get a comment from him the second he stepped out of the Winchester house. Dean had been forced to glare furiously from the living room window after Castiel had made him swear not to rush out and start a brawl.

Dean rolled his eyes, remembering. "It's fine, Sam. Cas isn't too happy about it, but I think he's just nervous for me. Personally, I couldn't give a flying fuck. As long as they don't put their hands on Cas, I figure we'll be okay until it all dies down. It's been great for the businesses all over the city, at least."

"I guess, if you don't mind…"

Mary Winchester suddenly appeared, slapping her sons on their backs, "Hey you two. Why are you both tucked away over here? Mingle, would ya?"

"Mom," Dean groaned, "I'm tired of talking to people. They just keep asking me to repeat the whole damn story over and over."

"Mmm-hmm," Mary nodded, with mock sympathy, "Poor you. The heavy burden of rescuing your boyfriend and almost being shot must be so tedious to have to repeat to your worried friends and family." Dean spared her an unamused look, which she ignored, "Well, if you won't get off your ass for them, maybe you'll do it to intercept your father from terrorizing your boyfriend?"

Dean's head snapped up, eyes huge and panicked. "Cas is here already? I thought he was still at work!" Dean was on his feet in an instant, searching the crowd. "Damn it-! I told him to text me before he got here. I didn't want him to talk to Dad without me!"

"Relax, babe. I'm sure Castiel can hold his own just fine with your father. God knows he's faced-off with worse…"

Dean was only half-listening, his heart racing, "Where are they? Shit-" He turned to his mother, voice desperate, "Mom-not cool! You know how Dad feels about all this! Just tell me where they're at."

Mary shook her head disapprovingly at her son. "They're in the kitchen, you big baby."

Dean was already gone, shoving his way through the crowd.

Mary shared an eye roll with Sam.

…

"F-first, I would like to say, uh, sir, that I have only honorable intentions with your son," Castiel was squirming uncomfortably under John's sharp eyes. He cleared his throat painfully and continued, his deep tones even more rusty from nerves, "Furthermore, it was, um, it was never my plan to have Dean risk his life to save me. I-I apologize for the stress that the whole incident must have c-caused you and your, er, lovely wife…?"

John's face remained a grim mask, mouth tilted down in a frown. Castiel didn't realize that he had been shying gradually away from the towering man until his back bumped the stainless steel island behind him.

"And I-I promise that, in the future, I will, uh, strive to make Dean as happy as possible-"

"I heard you hit my son in California."

Castiel's eyes became horrified blue saucers. "Th-th-that was- I've never-"

"And you trapped him in a bathroom."

Castiel's mouth tried to form an explanation, but he couldn't do more than stutter uselessly.

"AND you told him you'd choose the company over him."

Castiel gave up on explanations and stared hard at the tile floor, waiting miserably, as if facing down a firing squad.

John continued to scrutinize him closely, mouth a thin line. His voice was a sharp growl as he asked, "Well? You plannin' on repeating any of those things?"

"N-no, sir," Castiel answered truthfully, wincing at the question.

"That boy told you what me and his Mom do for a living…?"

"You're, uh, hunters…for a TV show."

"So, I don't need to tell you about my EXTENSIVE gun and knife collection?"

Castiel's throat tried to completely close on him. He barely managed to rasp out, "No, sir."

"Good." John rumbled.

There was an intensely uncomfortable silence, in which Castiel desperately tried to think of the long list of assurances he had been planning to give to Dean's parents. His mind was NOT cooperating.

But, then, John's voice shifted into something slightly lighter, almost friendly. "Sam and them, they, uh, said you've got a pretty impressive right hook...?"

Castiel's eyes moved carefully up to meet John's. "Uh…?"

"You, um, you like sports… right? Word is, you handed Dean his ass a while back. Ultimate frisbee or something?" John seemed to be trying to figure something out as he watched Castiel closely.

"Yes, sir…?"

John nodded, more to himself than to Castiel. "Good. Okay. Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, mirroring Dean's familiar movement. "We, uh, we usually play football on holidays. Tradition, you know…You CAN play football, right?" He eyed Castiel carefully again, and Castiel suddenly realized that the man was uncomfortable.

"Of course he can play football, Dad! Christ almighty- he's gay, not broken-!" Both men jumped at Dean's sharp voice from the doorway. He was blocking the doorway, hands on his hips as he glared at his father. "Seriously, Dad. What the hell-?!"

John had the decency to look embarrassed. He muttered gruffly, "Well, how am I supposed to know. Maybe he doesn't like football…"

Castiel watched in amazement as the older man's ears reddened under his son's severe look.

"You know what? Cas is gonna be on my team this next time. We're gonna kick the stereotype straight out of you, ya old geezer." Dean stomped over to stand next to Castiel, arms folded across his chest challengingly, "Now are you done tryin' to scare my boyfriend?"

John glared at his son, and Dean glared right back. Castiel shifted awkwardly between them in the silence.

Finally, John shrugged and murmured, "I reckon."

He gave Castiel one more sharp glance, then turned away and slumped out of the kitchen towards the common area, leaving the two men behind.

Dean rounded on Castiel as soon as the man was out of earshot, "I said to text me before showing up," he admonished. Then, more softly, "You okay? What'd he say to you?" Dean reached out to tug on Castiel's hand worriedly.

"He…threatened me," Castiel answered, turning his face to look worriedly at Dean, "You're father is…very intimidating, Dean. But," he paused, brow furrowing, "I think he…likes me?"

"Course he does!" Dean scoffed, but Castiel caught a hint of relief in his tone, "You're awesome. And he'll learn to respect you, too, after we kick his old ass at football." Dean paused, then asked hesitantly, "You CAN play football, right?"

Castiel gave Dean an unimpressed look. "Yes, Dean."

"Oh- thank God!" Dean exhaled with relief, then grinned at the frown Castiel was shooting him, "What? You should feel honored! I said you're gonna be on my team without even knowing if you were any good! That's love, dude!"

Castiel shook his head, but he couldn't hold in the chuckle as Dean shifted forward to pepper his face with soft kisses. Castiel grabbed his ear and tugged him in for a heavier kiss.

After a brief, but heated, make-out session, they walked back down the hall to join the rest of the crowd celebrating their return.

"We take our holiday games seriously," Dean stated, returning the conversation to sports, "so you better be good, Cas. But, uh… not too good. I mean- don't embarrass me again, like with ultimate frisbee, okay? Cas…?" The dark haired man kept walking towards the noise, not answering. "Cas? Shit- how good ARE you at football? Cas-?!"

Their voices faded down the hall.

After several seconds, the door to one of the lower cabinets swung open. "Geez…that was awk-warrrddd." Gabriel unfolded himself, and stretched, his bones popping loudly as he headed for the door, "Don't mind me- just leaving. Feel free to carry on you two."

From back behind one of the islands came the muttered curse, "Balls-!"

…

"Well, do you feel better now?" Mary was smirking at her husband as he sat stiffly down beside her. He grunted something, before focusing on his beer. "So? What did you end up saying to the poor guy?"

John didn't answer for several seconds, then finally muttered lowly, "Told him 'bout the guns."

Mary blinked at him. "You…you gave him the 'prom date' speech…?" John just shrugged. Mary snorted and tried to cover it quickly by faking a cough. "So, uh, let me get this right," she began, fighting back a grin, "You threatened to physically hurt Castiel if he hurts Dean…?"

John shrugged again, sending his wife a warning glare.

Mary burst into cackling laughter, "So-so-so-snort!- DEAN is the 'precious daughter' in this scenario? Really-? That's how you're seeing this-!?"

Mary flung herself over her husband's shoulder, shaking hard with uncontrolled laughter.

"…shaddup," John grumbled.

…

"Hey, where's Ash at? I've still gotta thank that guy for pulling strings for us." Dean asked as he and Castiel slipped onto the barstools closest to Sam and Jess.

Sam almost spewed his beer, wide eyes turning to his brother, "Oh. Oh." His eyes darted to Jess for help, "They-oh…"

Dean gave his brother a 'what the fuck' look, before asking, "Geez, Sammy, all those college classes are really doin' wonders for your speaking skills." Sam shot him Bitch Face twenty-seven.

Jess intervened before the spat could escalate, "Sorry- we figured they, uh, would have told you both. I guess they decided not to interrupt your road trip…" She was glancing uncomfortably at Castiel as she spoke.

Dean frowned, "Who the hell is 'they'? I'm asking about Ash. I haven't heard from the dude since we bailed from San Diego. Didn't he come back?" Dean seemed to freeze, face dropping in shock, "Don't fuckin' tell me he took a goddamn job with one of those 'suit companies'?"

'Umm…" Jess began, face squeezing with dread, "Good news- no. He didn't get a job in California." She glanced again at Castiel.

"Jess," Castiel spoke up, worry edging his words, "What is it? Is he alright?"

"Oh, boy," Jess answered, scootching closer to Sam, as if searching for a buffer. "Um, have you…heard from Meg at all…?"

Castiel's frown deepened, and his eyes shifted to Dean who automatically stiffened at the ex-Bride-To-Be's name. "No, I-I haven't had an opportunity…"

"Oh?" Jess replied tightly, before giving Sam a not-so-subtle elbow to the ribs.

Sam elbowed her back, shaking his head emphatically.

Jess's lips flattened in annoyance, and she elbowed him again, nodding her head.

Sam sent her his patented 'puppy dog face'.

Jess countered with her own 'deluxe-Puss-in-Boots-kitten-eyes'.

Sam caved instantly. Practically avalanched, Dean thought with a snort.

"Ash-and-Meg-eloped-to-Australia-!" Sam spat out in an uncontrolled rush of word vomit, wincing immediately.

Both Castiel and Dean's mouth dropped in matching looks of shock.

"W-why-? What the HELL?!" Dean recovered first, face morphing into a scowl, "No fuckin' way! Ash would never-! THAT CHICK IS CRAZY-!"

"Dean-" Castiel cut him off, frowning, "I keep telling you, Meg was NOT one of the bad guys. She's actually very nice. She has a son that she cares about very much." CAstiel turned thoughtfully to the other couple, "He's with them, too? In Australia?" Sam and Jess nodded.

Dean snorted, throwing his arms up, "But-but- ASH? That dude's my best friend! He's like, a super-genius! AND a total romantic sap! What the hell could he see in that goth-"

"Dean…" Castiel warned lowly.

"I-I just don't get it, s'all I'm saying," Dean muttered, pouting under Castiel's rare disapproval.

Castiel sighed, turning towards Sam and Jess who were watching the two of them tensely. "Meg is surprisingly sweet, uh… deep down. She may seem tough, but she's worked hard to turn her life around for herself and her son. I think…" Castiel considered something for a moment, then continued, "I think that the two of them could work. They deserve to be happy…"

Dean shrugged helplessly from where he sat, "Guess it's not up to us, anyway. At least she didn't manage to steal you off to Australia." He smiled brightly at Castiel, pulling the man in close to his chest.

"She did ask," Castiel supplied honestly, casting a sidelong glance towards his boyfriend. Dean's back stiffened, his entire frame becoming a mountain of sputtering fury. The edges of Castiel's mouth tilted up as he fought back a grin, eyes sparkling, "Of course, I DO like Australia…"

"Cas-!"

"And it was a tempting offer…"

"CAS-"

"And she REALLY seemed to like me-"

Dean wrapped himself tightly around Castiel, squeezing the air out of the man as he hissed lowly, "Don't make me throw you into Bobby's basement and lock the door, Cas- I swear I'm not above it!"

Sam and Jess were speed-inching (practically 'footing') awkwardly away from the couple, as Castiel chuckled against Dean's warm neck, "Hmm…you'd lock me up, and keep me all to yourself, Dean?"

"Just try me and find out, Cas," Dean warned, a throaty growl as he breathed in Castiel's soft-scented hair.

"Would you 'visit' me, Dean? While I'm locked up and alone…?" Castiel's voice was purr.

Dean's voice shifted to something deeper, and needier, as he hummed, "Mmm, yeah, Cas. All the ti- Fuck-!" Dean withdrew, face twisted with suspicion, "Damn it, you're riling me up on purpose, aren't you? That's low, Cas…"

Castiel's face finally cracked into a bright smile that had Dean forgetting what he was even upset about. He leaned forward to capture Castiel's mouth possessively. Around them, there was a sudden burst of cheerful applause from their many friends and family gathered in the bar.

Dean pulled back to shoot their nosy audience a pissed off look, but Castiel grabbed his head and pulled him back down for another smothering meeting of lips and tongues. Dean melted into the kiss, wrapping himself even closer to Cas as he shifted to block the crowd's view. The movement was followed immediately by dozens of lewd catcalls and whistles. Dean was too preoccupied to care.

Nearly a full minute later, Castiel shifted back a few inches, his cheeks beautifully tinged with pink, and pupils lust-blown. In a gravelly voice that sent shivers down Dean's spine, he murmured, "We'll save the basement for another time. I'm feeling more… 'nostalgic' tonight."

Dean watched as the man flicked his blue eyes in the direction of the dark lot where the shadow of the stage loomed against the distant back-fence.

Dean's green-eyes widened, a knowing grin spreading across his face.

…

"Where'n the hell did your brother and Castiel sneak off to?" Mary demanded irritably as she and John sat heavily down beside Sam and Jess. "This whole party is for those two- everyone is asking about them!"

Sam gestured wildly with his arms, eyes huge, "Do you see now!? You see what I've had to deal with-!?"


	42. Extra 3: Ruby and Gabriel

***Several Weeks After The Rescue…***

'This was stupid,' Ruby thought angrily to herself.

She was sitting awkwardly on the crowded couch in the packed living room of her house, with a stripper on one side and an enormous Russian on the other. The rest of the room was filled with equally unusual characters, all chatting excitedly.

Just as she was about to lose her temper and order everyone out, Gabriel appeared at the front of the room, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you all for coming."

The noise subsided immediately.

'How does he DO that?' Ruby wondered, frowning at the man.

"Now, I'm sure most of you already know why I called you here." Ruby saw the majority of heads in the room nod with a sudden grimness.

"For the rest of you, we are here for a very serious matter. The current ADA President, Crowley," he said the name as if it was something slimy, "is making deals with employees who are in debt, to forward them their salary in exchange for their loyalty as he conducts shady contracting deals."

Ruby's jaw dropped at the accusation.

"As most of you know, all company contracts must be 'equal-opportunity' dealings, ensuring fair competition and pricing. Crowley's actions are not only illegal, but they are also hurting both small business AND the employees who are desperately agreeing to help him. Now, we have several witnesses who have overheard Crowley's dealings-" he gestured to several of the strippers who nodded emphatically, "and many brave employees who have stepped forward with their stories." More people nodded at him. "Crowley is very dangerous BUT he's also a clever bastard. To take him down, we're going to need to play this out just right."

Their was a small cheer from the crowd at his words. Ruby facepalmed.

Of course Gabriel was going to try something as crazy as taking down the ADA President. The man is insane.

In the front of the room, Gabriel was continuing, "I want all of you to rest easy knowing that me and my hella-beautiful girlfriend, Ruby, are going to-"

"-WHAT!?"

Gabriel stopped, blinking innocently at Ruby. "Problem, babe?"

"When the HELL did I agree to be your girlfriend?!"

Gabriel looked thoughtful, then answered, "I think it was sometime after the first kiss in the parking garage…but, before the smokin' hot van-sex." He nodded thoughtfully, then picked back up where he had left off, "Now, like I said, me and my extremely gorgeous-"

He dropped flat to the floor just as a TV remote flew at him and exploded against the wall. "Aww, Rubes!" He whined, jumping up and dashing out of her throwing range, "I swear I'll marry you later, but we have to give it more time- for decency's sake!"

Ruby tripped mid-leap over the coffee table. She landed face first onto the persian rug.

No way she had just heard that…

But, the shrilling screams of the many strippers- and the large Russian man- indicated it had been real.

From her place sprawled on the expensive carpet, she raised her wide-eyes up to meet Gabriel's from where he stood a safe distance away.

"What do you say, Rubes? Make an honest man out of me at me? For the children?" He fixed her with his most hopeful smile.

Ruby's brain had shut-down. All she could manage to stammer was, "Wh-what children…?"

"Ours, of course! All fifteen of them!" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "I can't exactly tell 'em years from now that I put-out before we were even official. We have to be good role models-"

Gabriel was suddenly being rushed by practically everyone on the room, amid shouts of 'Congratulations!' and 'Fifteen- how sweet!'

Ruby watched, speechless, as the crowd patted Gabriel on the back excitedly while he returned their hand-shakes proudly, nodding and looking for all the world like a proud father-to-be.

Slowly, Ruby raised herself off the floor and onto shaking legs. Her voice was a stunned croak, "I-I didn't agree to-"

Gabriel raised his hands, cutting her off. "I know- you don't even have to say it. I want an even twenty, too. But, babe, we have to be realistic- I'm only human!"

"Gabriel…" Ruby stumbled forward, grabbing the front of the man's shirt tightly in her hands. She made sure her voice was completely serious as she met his eye. "…are you 'proposing' to me-?"

If he was joking-! If this was just him putting on a show to make her look like an idiot-!

"Not right NOW," the man stated with exasperation, "Geez, woman, the ring hasn't even been shipped yet- hold your horses!"

"R-ring…?" Ruby felt lightheaded. Fortunately, at that moment, she was swept up into the beefy arms of a sobbing Russian.

"Oh- so sweet! I will help with dress-picking! You will be very beautiful bride!" He crushed her to his chest, swinging her dangling feet as he sniffled violently.

"Hey-easy now, Anton- she's got to breathe!" Gabriel was trying to wedge his arms between her and the over-sized, weeping man.

Ruby found herself being sat down on unsteady feet as the Russian reluctantly released her. She felt over a dozen expectant eyes on her from around the too-small room.

She turned to find Gabriel standing in her limited personal space. He was still smiling, but his hands were twitching with undisguised nervousness as he rubbed them together. "Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, uh…I mean- no pressure, of course!" He chuckled, but his eyes were worried as he searched Ruby's, darting back and forth, as if trying to read her.

In a small voice, a whisper that no one else could hear, he asked, "What do you say…want to have a go at putting up with me permanently…?"

Ruby stared at him. Then around the crowded living room at the eager faces of the strange audience.

Gabriel's friends…

The weird man's inner circle of strippers and mobsters and pretty much everything in between.

In all the time she had been this man's secretary/babysitter, she was still constantly being surprised by him.

Her stomach fluttered with a strange excitement.

"Okay," Ruby finally answered. Gabriel visibly sagged with relief, clutching at his chest. "But, first, let's take down that bastard, Crowley."

The crowd shouted happily around them, as Gabriel pulled her in for a jubilant kiss.


	43. Extra 4: Old Friends & New Family

***One Month After the Rescue…***

As soon as Castiel arrived home early from work, he could hear the sounds of the shower going in the bathroom down the hall. He placed his trench coat and briefcase quietly down in their now familiar place by the door.

It had been a month since the two men had returned to Lawrence, Kansas. They had been greeted with warm hugs and welcomes by everyone. To Castiel, it had felt at first like he was being treated too kindly. Despite what Dean repeatedly insisted, the ADA Nightmare (as Castiel liked to call it) was exclusively his fault. The local office closure, Zachariah's hired stalker/hitman, Dean's near-fatal rescue- all of the distress that had been a part of Castiel's brief time as ADA Head.

But he was apparently alone in that line of thinking.

In fact, it seemed that everyone in Lawrence- and around the world- shared Dean's skewed belief that Castiel was some sort of…self-sacrificing hero.

Everything had gone almost TOO smoothly in fact.

Dean had been a little leery and closed-mouthed around Castiel's father, but that had only lasted an hour at most. Theodore Novak was a difficult man to be upset at and Dean had learned that quickly. Especially after the knowledge about the elderly man's condition. All it had really taken was for Castiel's father to apologize and mention how glad he was that Castiel had found such an upstanding man as Dean to be with, and the Winchester had succumbed to proud blushing.

The media, too, had slowly began backing off from the two, returning to their respective agencies after a few weeks. The couple was still constantly mentioned on TV, especially as the court proceedings were discussed for Michael and his many followers. But, it seemed most news crews had grown tired of Lawrence and moved on.

Now, weeks later, Castiel had returned to his previous job at the Lawrence ADA office and was residing with Dean in the Winchester home. Sam had already been mostly moved out by the time their road trip from San Diego had ended. He was living very happily with his new fiancé, Jess, in her comfortable apartment. Dean's parents had decided to park their RV on Bobby's property, leaving Castiel and Dean alone, with the house entirely to themselves.

At least, until Castiel could convince Dean to let him purchase their own home…

It was a…trying task. Castiel suspected Dean's displeasure at the idea stemmed from his desire to be the 'provider' in their relationship. The fact that Castiel was obscenely wealthy didn't play into Dean's worldview.

As Castiel stepped quietly through the living room- with ambitious plans to offer Dean his assistance in the shower- he spotted the small black form of Lucifer resting in the crook of the couch. A bright red bow was tied around the small kitten's neck.

Castiel rolled his eyes, a small smile turning up his lips as he moved to pick up the cat.

Today Dean had taken the kitten in for the remainder of his shots, and to finally complete their overdue adoption of the animal. They were a family now.

The kitten made a surprised chirping sound as Castiel lifted it for kiss and snuggle. "Oh, Lu Lu, what did Daddy-Dean do? Did he dress you up like a pretty girl cat agai-" As he spoke, the kitten's small black head turned, revealing enormous, gold, owl-like eyes. "WHAAHHH-!"

The animal in his arms bolted in a leaping bound from his arms, darting under the couch. From down the hall, Dean came running, soaking wet and struggling to wrap a towel around himself.

"Cas! What-?!"

Castiel was backing up against the far wall, pointing a finger at the couch where the animal was hiding, "It's not Lucifer! The eyes are- Dean-!"

Dean was watching him wide-eyed, hands up to calm the man. "Oh, okay. Yeah, so, this is what happened," Castiel calmed down at Dean's soothing tone, "I, well, you know, I took Lu in for the paperwork and stuff, right?" Castiel nodded slowly, eyes still glancing nervously to the shadows under the couch. "And, I was kind of, just, standing there, in the office, waiting. And, there were all the cages… and, then this tiny little paw was reaching out, and, like, trying to catch ahold of my hand. And it was, black, like Lu's, and I looked in the cage and-" Dean caught his breath, running a hand nervously through his damp hair before meeting Castiel's eye and mumbling, "The cat-ladies say no one really wants the black ones…."

Castiel was staring at Dean as the man swallowed thickly and waited. "…you adopted another cat?"

"I, uh, I named her Impala." Dean was looking down, face red as he played with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"…Impala?" Castiel asked, frowning.

Dean nodded.

Castiel moved slowly and lowered himself to the floor as Dean watched nervously. From within the darkness, Castiel could see the bright, glowing circles where Impala was observing him cautiously.

There was movement, then Dean was crouching on the floor beside him. They stared at the kitten, who stared back.

"Impala." It was a thoughtful statement.

"Yeah, well, I mean- if your okay with the whole…second cat thing. We can, maybe, talk about it. But, yeah…?"

Castiel turned to stare at Dean who was watching him with hopeful green eyes. Without warning, Castiel closed the distance between them, taking Dean's mouth with his own.

When they broke apart, Dean was smiling brightly. "So, we can keep her? She's super-sweet, and really loves cuddling. And she climbed up and sat on my shoulder in the car during the drive back. And-"

Castiel silenced Dean with another soft kiss. "We can keep her- on one condition." Dean's brow furrowed, confused. Castiel smirked, "You have to agree to look at some houses with me."

Dean's face dropped at the condition. Castiel watched as the man frowned at the small kitten under the couch, then Castiel. After an extensive internal struggle, Dean finally muttered, "Geez, fine. BUT- you said 'look'. That doesn't mean I agree to choose one!" Dean was grinning smugly at the loophole to Castiel's sneaky plan.

Castiel just smiled back, making Dean's smile falter slightly. "That's all I ask," he said simply.

…

Two weeks later, Dean was co-signing the deed to a four bedroom luxury farmhouse in the secluded Kansas countryside just outside the city limits, while Castiel beamed smugly beside him.

…-^o^-…

***Three months after the Rescue...***

When Castiel burst through the double-doors and into the lobby of the hospital waiting room, he barely had time to catch his breath before Sam was running over to him.

"Thank God you made it! She wants you in there, now!"

Castiel had to take a moment to process the statement as he gasped for breath. "Me? She wants ME in there? Wha-what about Dean? I thought-"

Everyone gathered in the waiting room seemed to collectively roll their eyes. Bobby's gruff voice was the first to answer, "That Idjit is laid up in the bed right beside her. Didn't last three minutes."

Castiel's eyebrows shot up. "Dean fainted-?

Sam was grimacing as he nodded, "Lisa told us to get you in there as soon as you showed up, so…"

Castiel was already moving fast in the direction Sam was pointing. He shoved his way through another set of heavy double-doors into the maternity ward, and immediately heard the sounds of labored breathing and pained shouts. He raced towards the noise.

His mind was racing with both panic and surprise. When he had first been awkwardly introduced to Lisa by Dean, there had been an very definite wall of mutual dislike between the two. Lisa had barely managed to stay in the same room with him for several weeks after they met, and Castiel had would have avoided her just as much, if Dean hadn't looked like a kicked puppy every time. Whenever they were forced to be together, they tended to speak with barely hidden hostility.

The two would have continued their cold glances and clipped conversations, if Lisa had not had a terrifying pregnancy scare a few weeks after their first meeting. She had called Dean in a tearful panic in the middle of the night, after suffering from painful stomach cramps. She was too terrified that something was wrong with the baby to even go into the hospital for confirmation, and Dean had been absolutely hysterical- more so even than her, castle thought at the time- rushing to get her to the emergency room.

She and the baby had ended up being okay, but Dean was a wreck of nerves. Later, after Dean had left her tiny hospital room to find her some ice, Lisa had mumbled an embarrassed apology to Castiel.

Castiel had frowned at the distraught woman, then at the door Dean had left out of seconds before. Finally, he had turned to Lisa and stated, "I think it would be better for Dean if you moved in with us. He's very attached to you and the baby, and it just isn't safe for you to be living by yourself at this stage."

Lisa had been speechless, her red-rimmed brown eyes wide with shock. Then, she had melted into a mess of sobs. The next words out of her mouth when she could manage to speak through her tears was, "You're s-so NICE, I hate you!"

And just like that, the two had become friends before Dean even managed to make it back with ice. By the end of the following week, when all of Lisa's things had been moved in to the new house, the two of them were practically inseparable. Sometimes even Dean, himself, was put off by how close the two of them were, although as Lisa pointed out jokingly, he was mostly just upset that she was telling Castiel all of his embarrassing childhood stories.

Now, as Castiel hurried through the winding halls of the hospital, he considered this latest turn of events.

His boyfriend's ex-fiance, who was living in their house, was giving birth to another man's baby that had almost single-handedly broken up their relationship, and she was asking for Castiel, of all people, to help her through the birth.

It was just crazy enough to be absolutely unworthy of surprise, considering the the insanity that had preceded their lives up to this point.

He followed Lisa's loud shouting until he finally found her. The room was small, already crowded with medical staff. There were two beds. One was occupied by the flushed and gasping Lisa.

In the other, Dean was lying pale-faced and unconscious.

"OHHH- Thank GOD!" Lisa cried out, seeing Castiel in doorway. She raised her hand weakly up towards Castiel, who moved to grasp it. "That WIMP fainted as soon as we got in here! Can you-AHHH!- Can you believe that?! All the classes we've been-UGH- taking! WASTED!"

Castiel tried to soothe her. "It's fine. You're fine. I'm here now."

"You're boyfriend's a -gasp!- HUGE pussy, Cas!" Lisa moaned furiously.

Castiel attributed the unusual flash of anger to the birth pains. "Yes, yes he is. You're absolutely right. We're going to make fun of him for years after this. But, right now, let's focus on getting the baby born, okay Lis?"

"You're SO SWEET-AHHH-HAH! FUCK-!" Lisa swore loudly. "Ohhh-! Why didn't I do the motherfucking epidural-? Fuck-!"

"It's time to push," ordered the doctor hunched on the stool between her legs.

"FUCKSHITMOTHERFUCKING-AHHHHH!"

Castiel was torn between being terrified and being mortified. He glanced quickly at the masked faces of the nurses, but none of them seemed fazed by the colorful language flowing from Lisa's mouth. He decided to ignore it and give his full attention to coaching the woman.

Castiel tried to remember Dean's conversations about the birthing lessons. What calming techniques had he mentioned? What helpful tips?

"Okay- we're close! Just a bit more," The doctor was saying over Lisa's hoarse screams.

Castiel was leaning down, offering any encouraging words he could think of and telling her how great she was doing. He felt absolutely useless, but Lisa continued gripping his hand painfully.

Less than a minute later, a small muffled sob echoed in the small room.

Castiel and Lisa stared at the tiny body as the doctor raised it up, to pass to the nurse standing nearby. They both looked at each other, then back as the newborn gave a croaking whine.

From the vicinity of Dean's limp form on the bed, a second sound, this one a low groan, filled the air.

Castiel and Lisa pulled their eyes away from the baby to glance at Dean as the man started to slowly come to.

Their eyes came back to each other's humorously.

Castiel leaned down and placed a kiss on Lisa's sweaty forehead. "You did fantastic, Lis."

She smiled brightly back at him. "Thanks for being here, Cas. I know how weird all this must be but…thanks for being so awesome about it all." Castiel smiled softly, patting her warm hand.

"Whad'I miss…?" Dean slurred, slowly sitting up in the other bed and blinking. "Cas? What're you-?" He seemed to realize where he was, his eyes widening almost comically, "Aww..fuck-!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to everyone who has commented and encouraged me to keep going with the story! (I was a little worried about continuing after the main story ended-THANKS SO MUCH!)


	44. Extra 5: Kinks and Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: The super-fantastic InThePalmOfMyHand
> 
> A/N: So, this took half my life to get around to posting. Sorry if anyone was actually waiting for it. (*bows apologetically*) Good news, though! This is part one of a four chapter batch! Yep-the next three chapters should all be out within 24 hours of this one! They're all just fun little extras, so I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> (BTW-Thanks to everyone for reading this story for so long-I know it's a beast to get all the way through. I figure if any of you have made it this far, you must have really liked it and invested a lot of time, so...yeah. Thanks for that. I *heart* you all!)

...-^o^-...

Seven months after 'The Rescue'…

"I think…" Castiel began awkwardly, "I think Dean is watching porn when I'm not home."

Lisa almost spat her coffee across the table.

Castiel winced, handing her a napkin before returning his hands to rock Baby Ben's swaddled form in his arms.

He had met Lisa in their usual spot after work, a small coffee shop near the ADA office in downtown Lawrence. Over the last five months, Castiel and Lisa's shaky relationship had become solidified into BFF status (much to Dean's initial joy, and ultimate horror). The usual topic of conversation was the oldest Winchester- mostly embarrassing story trade-offs.

Castiel had been insistent that Lisa move into the spacious house that he and Dean shared after Ben was born. At first, Lisa had been entirely against the move, refusing to be a burden to them. But, it wasn't long before she was excitedly taking them up on the offer. Between the three of them, all of whom had zero practical experience with babies, they managed to figure out a solid routine that made the work of caring for the newborn a 'relatively' smooth process. And during their shared time together, they had all grown closer than ever.

Lisa sat across from Castiel now with a confused frown. "What? What makes you think that? I haven't noticed anything."

Castiel was shaking his head slowly, staring down at his cooling coffee. "Your room's across the house. Plus, you've been spending most evening and weekends out. I'm- I'm pretty sure about this…"

"But, why?"

"Little things," Castiel mumbled, red tinging his cheeks. "The, uh, lube bottle being moved around. Running low quicker." His voice was barely a whisper. Lisa had to lean in to hear him. "I came home early a few times, and he's been in the bedroom, in front of his laptop. He-he tries to play it off, act like he's been watching a movie or something, but…"

"Okay," Lisa answered, understanding. "So, he doesn't really want you to know? That's… well, honestly it's normal, Cas. Maybe he just wants a little time to himself. Is that something you aren't comfortable with?"

"It's- It's not that I care that he's watching it without telling me," Castiel started hesitantly, "It's just- well, what if…what if he's watching straight porn?" Castiel face almost crumpled at saying the words, "with…women in it?"

Realization dawned across Lisa's face. "Oh-OH! You think the reason he's keeping it a secret is because-" Castiel hugged Ben's sleeping form closer to him and Lisa didn't finish the question. Instead, she leaned back, thinking. "Okay. Okay."

"Do you think-? I mean, has he said anything around you about, uh, females…?"

Lisa was shaking her head emphatically, "No-! No way. He literally spends ALL our time together gushing about you and, well, over-sharing, actually. Do you know how many times he's tried to give me a play-by-play with that dopey grin on his face? Too many times, Cas. In fact, since we're on the topic, he REALLY likes it on the kitchen floor. Really. Like, he gave me a schedule for when NOT to be home so I wouldn't walk in." She gave him wink, hands up-raised as he stuttered helplessly. "Not judging or anything, but you two better be bleaching that shit afterwards."

Castiel's face was on fire. "He-he told you about that-?" He stopped, giving his head a restless shake, "That's not what I wanted to talk about. So you- you haven't gotten the impression that he may be…'interested' in women, uh, in general?

Lisa shrugged, brown eyes wide and sympathetic, "No, hon. It's been a complete one-eighty since he's been with you. I mean, he pretends to flirt at the shows and stuff, but you know that's just for the fans."

Castiel sighed, "Then, what? He's watching gay porn?" His face tightened, "I'm-I'm not really sure which is worse…."

"Listen, you shouldn't just make any assumptions, Cas. Talk to him. He's obviously in love with you. He's not going to get upset if you ask him to tell you because you're worried. Maybe he's just embarrassed because he thinks you wouldn't be into watching it with him."

Castiel nodded, face taking on a determined look. "You're right. Yes. I just need to ask him directly. Let him know that it's okay, and we can talk about it."

"See? It's not that bad." She smiled brightly, "You two are perfect for each other. Something as silly as 'secret porn' shouldn't be an issue for you guys."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Lis."

"It's what I do. Resolve sexual conflicts between my ex-fiancé and his gay boyfriend. I'm a giver." She beamed as Castiel winced sympathetically.

…

"Hello, Dean."

"HOLY-!" The laptop slammed shut with almost enough force to crack the screen. Dean tried hurriedly to cover up his bare legs with the blanket as he stuttered hurriedly, "I-I thought you, uh, I mean- what happened with work? You said you had to take care of something at the office-?"

"I lied. Dean," Castiel stepped into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him as Dean sat red-faced and guilty on the edge of the bed. "I want to know what you've been watching while I'm out. I-I promise, I won't be upset."

Dean's face was a tomato. He gripped the laptop edges tight and pulled it behind him. "C-Cas, I-I swear it's not-"

"Dean," Castiel's voice was so sad that Dean's eyes snapped up, "I've been worrying about it for weeks. I-I can't deal with not knowing. I hate to have secrets between us. Please…"

"Cas…" Dean's face was crushed, "It's…it's not anything like that. I mean- it's not what you think." He sucked in several deep breaths before, "It's… you. I-I've been watching videos of you."

"Vi-videos of me? Wha-what are you saying? Have you- do you mean you've been-?"

Dean's eyes almost bulged out of his head, "NO! NONONONO! Not like- home videos from our bedroom! Jesus Christ, Cas! That's- No! I meant videos of you from work."

Castiel was even more lost. "What?"

Dean rubbed his hands over his face, "Charlie… she-she sent me a video about a month ago. Of you. In one of your 'Think Tanks'."

Castiel blinked, "What does that have to do with…"

"Cas. You're killing me here." Dean ground out, "I've…I've been watching your Think Tank videos." At Castiel's blank expression, he groaned in a small voice, "For pleasure, Cas."

Castiel cocked his head to the side, brow furrowed. "You've been getting off to me… yelling at people…?"

"Oh my-! Don't say it like that, you ass!" Dean groaned loudly, "It's not- It's not like I get turned on by shouting or something. It's just- like, watching you be all- all hot and bossy… Oh, fuck- I'm so fucking weird- I know, you're freaked out!" Dean flipped over on the bed and buried his crimson face in the comforter.

Castiel watched from where he was frozen at the door. "You-you've been beating off, alone, to a video of me…dominating people…?"

"…videos," Dean whispered into the bedding.

"…"

"I'm a pervert, Cas."

"…"

"I should have told you after the first time. It's creepy- I know."

"…"

"Please don't leave me."

"What?" Castiel almost choked.

Dean raised his head, "I swear I never meant to, like, violate your privacy or anything. I just- I didn't know it was something I'd be so into until-"

"Dean, I'm not leaving you just because you're sexually attracted to me. It's- That's not a BAD thing."

Dean's face relaxed as he let out a long breath of relief, "I thought, I mean-"

Castiel wasn't listening. He was thinking, hard. "What are you fantasizing about- when you watch the videos?"

The question seemed to throw Dean off. "I-uh, fuck, Cas… weird shit, I guess."

"Dean. Tell me." Castiel demanded, eyes becoming sharp as Dean shied away from answering.

"Damn, dude," Dean looked everywhere in room except at Castiel. "I dunno… The table…?"

"The table…?"

"And…you know, when you, kinda, throw things…"

"Oh…?"

"And your tie."

"My…my tie?"

"Yeah, man… you know, doing what a tie does…"

"…you imagine being 'tied up'…?" It was Castiel's turn to flush.

"Dude-I told you! It's weird shit-"

"…okay."

Dean paused, peering up at Castiel's pensive frown. "Huh?"

Castiel was nodding to himself, "Yes…I think I would like that. Quite a bit. We should do it."

"Cas-" Dean's voice was low and cautious, "Are you- are you saying you want to-?"

Castiel's eyes locked onto Dean's with a dangerous gleam that he had never seen in them before, only recognizable from the videos.

"Oh my fuck-" Dean wheezed incredulously.

…

"Cas, I-I didn't mean-" Dean was stuttering as the conference room door shut with an ominous click. He backed himself up as Castiel stalked slowly towards him. His legs hit the conference table and he had to throw his arms out to catch himself from falling backwards onto it.

Castiel continued strolling towards him while his hands unknotted the tie around his neck.

"Wh-what if Charlie's watching?! That chick's a pervert-"

"Charlie is a lesbian, and in a very happy relationship with Gilda. She's promised not to watch. It's just you and me."

Dean managed a snort, that turned to a croak as Castiel reached him, sliding their bodies against each other before giving Dean a gentle shove that left him sprawled on the table with Castiel looming above him. Dean made a small, desperate sound before asking weakly, "Are-are the cameras…recording this?"

"Yes. It's not connected to the network, though. I wanted to make sure we could keep it… for posterity." Castiel's voice was low and abrasive as he breathed the words over Dean's mouth.

Dean moaned, cursing excitedly as Castiel bent over and claimed his lips in a hungry kiss that had Dean melting beneath him.

One of Castiel's hands slid warmly down Dean's arm, grabbing a hold of his hand tightly. Dean pulled away from the kiss at the feeling of cloth slipping around his wrist. His wide eyes met Castiel's.

"Fuck-" Dean muttered weakly, not resisting as Castiel pulled his other hand forward and tied the soft blue tie around it as well.

Once Dean's hands were bound, Castiel dipped in close, the stubble of his jaw burning deliciously across Dean's cheek, as he whispered throatily into his ear, "Safe words are 'Heaven' to keep going, and 'Purgatory' to stop."

Dean had a small heart attack. His body shuddered violently under Castiel's as the man trailed kisses down his neck.

"Dean…?"

"H-heaven," Dean gasped.

Castiel's arms suddenly reached around, lifting Dean onto the edge of the table. Dean gripped Castiel's shirt with his fingers at the sudden movement.

He leaned forward, as the blue eyed man began tugging eagerly at his clothes, unbuckling his belt and whipping it off. He moved to Dean's jeans, unzipping them as he stared darkly into Dean's eyes.

Dean's hard cock sprung proudly out. Castiel glanced down at it, then up at Dean with a smirk. "Skipped out on boxers today…?"

Dean's own smile was a wolfish grin, "All week, actually. Been waiting. Always want to be ready for you, babe."

Castiel's eyes were sharp with hunger as he growled at Dean's words. "Slut."

Dean flashed his teeth, smiling unapologetically, "You pronounced 'Awesome Boyfriend' ALL wrong, Cas…"

He felt Castiel tremble, and grinned wider. His smile dropped fast, however, as the man fell to his knees, spreading Dean's legs and tugging the pants down violently until he could fling them away along with the shoes and socks.

Dean rolled backwards on the table at the movement, a giddy laugh bursting from him. It echoed in silent room, bouncing off the walls.

The noise morphed into a choking sound as Castiel's mouth was suddenly swallowing him in one smooth movement. Dean's legs stiffened, paralyzed by the pleasure shooting through him. Dean tried to catch his breath as Castiel began bobbing over his cock. He stuttered out a pained moan, rolling his body forward to try and sit up. He wanted to watch- needed to see Castiel taking him in.

He was hindered by his bound hands, helplessly rocking up and falling uselessly back down, shaking, as Castiel chuckled around his twitching member.

"C-Cas-!"

"Safety check?"

"FUCKING HEAVEN-Shit! Lemme up, Cas- I wanna watch!" Dean's voice was a whine, his head tilted sideways on the cold table as he tried to see past his own knees to the man resting between his legs.

Castiel gave a final lick, from the very base of Dean's cock, all the way up to the tip, before pulling away and standing.

"Cas." Dean's voice was a humorless warning as he watched the man stroll away towards the far dry-erase board. Castiel ignored him, picking up one of the markers and beginning to write.

Dean blinked incredulously, watching as dark-haired man wrote 'Dean' then 'Castiel' in two separate columns. Beneath the two names, he listed numbers, one through five. Dean breathed heavily, confused and more than a little annoyed. "Cas…you can't be fucking serious right now-"

"I think we need to address the matter of 'kinks' Dean." Dean's mouth snapped shut with a click.

Well, this was taking a more interesting turn…

"I'm very…upset… that you made me worry for the last several weeks, Dean." He turned, eyes falling on Dean's with a small scowl. "I don't appreciate secrets."

Dean shivered under the hard look. Grinning cockily, he replied, "I dunno, worked out pretty well, if you ask me."

Castiel smiled back, but it was edged with a glimmer of danger that had Dean shutting up fast.

Oh, shit…

Castiel indicated the board with a small nod, "Today's project is to list five items that we both would like to incorporate into our sex-life." Dean was too dumbfounded to even speak. Castiel tilted his head to the side at Dean's stunned expression. "I'll go first."

He turned to the board and began writing. Dean followed every letter, eyes suddenly widening as he watched the sentence being written. He barely managed to rasp out, "C-Cas-!"

Castiel stepped back and smiled patiently at Dean where he lay on the table, gawking.

Castiel:

Spankings

"Your turn, Dean."

Dean had to make an actual effort to close his mouth. His voice stuttered as he finally rasped, "F-food." At Castiel's pensive face, he added quickly, "Like pies and…you know, whip cream."

Castiel nodded, adding 'Food' to Dean's side. Then, he moved to his own and scrawled out 'Public'.

"Whoah-Cas! I-I don't-"

Castiel cut him off, "Just outdoor public access places, in general, Dean. Nothing with the real possibility of an audience. Something like here, or our first time."

Dean remembered the thrill of being under the stage, the large crowd just a few yards away, completely unaware of the two of them.

He nodded.

"Your turn again," Castiel prompted.

"Toys."

Castiel nodded and Dean caught a little smirk. "I second that. For my next…I think-" He wrote 'Rough Play' before turning to Dean to explain, "Obviously nothing dangerous. Just a little," he flashed a small smile that sent shivers coursing through every inch of Dean's overheated body, "…forcefulness."

Dean would have responded, but Castiel's gleaming eyes were still locked on his which was distracting as hell.

"Your turn again, Dean."

Dean muttered, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "I-I mean, obviously, uh, bondage and home videos." He couldn't even look at Cas's face when he said it, but he knew the man was smiling as he added the two items as three and four under Dean's name.

"Hmm…" Castiel sighed, "I think, for me…"

He wrote 'Role Play' as his number four.

Dean groaned, his cock bobbing eagerly in the cool air of the room.

"And for my number five, I think…" He wrote 'Blow Jobs- anytime, anywhere'. Dean moaned, slamming his head back hard on the table as his entire body shuddered. "And that goes both ways, of course." Castiel added helpfully.

"Of course," Dean wheezed sarcastically.

"Last one, Dean. Make it count."

Dean stared at the board, reading over the lists, his breath ragged.

What the fuck else could he possibly want…?

Trick question. He knew the ONE thing that was almost too absurd to even say out loud.

But he only had this one chance…and Cas HAD been clear he didn't want secrets and shit.

He must have taken too long to answer, because Castiel spoke softly, "Dean, if you have something in mind, I promise, I'll hear you out respectfully. You know that…" His soft blue eyes were pleading, as if he knew Dean had a dirty little secret that needed to be let out.

Dean took several deep breath, his erection already fully hard just from the thought alone.

"It's- it's super-weird, Cas. Like, kinda twisted, you know…"

"Dean," Castiel's eyes had missed his hardening cock and flushed body. His gaze turned hungry, and predatory. "I want to know. Tell me…or I'll get it out of you the hard way."

Dean shuddered, heart hammering in his chest. "Fuck-! I-I-"

…

"OH-HO-HO MY GOD-! AAAHHHH-!" Charlie slammed her computer monitor down, closing it with a sharp smack and threw her headphones across the room.

A few feet away, Gilda jumped in shock. "Are you okay, Charlie? What's wrong?" She moved quickly over to rub a gentle hand over Charlie's back.

Charlie had turned bright red, sucking in air in short gasps of 'Oh my god, he didn't! Oh my GOD, he DIDN'T-!'

"Charlie," Gilda frowned, glancing down at the closed monitor, "You weren't snooping on them, were you?"

"WE NEVER TALK ABOUT THIS MOMENT, OKAY? YOU DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING-!"

Gilda nodded wide eyed as Charlie slumped in front of her, deep inhales turning into an uncontrolled fit of laughter.

…

Castiel was frozen.

Had been frozen, for nearly a full, horrifying minute.

Dean wanted to take it back, but now he was just too mortified to even speak.

Castiel broke the silence after a hellish eternity, "…you or me…?" It wasn't angry. Or necessarily hostile. Just…a quiet question.

Dean could have died from embarrassment, but it only one easy syllable to get out, "…you."

Castiel's hand twitched first, then his eyes finally turned away from Dean, followed by his body as he wrote on the board.

Dean:

'Fake Impregnation'

Dean genuinely had no idea how Cas was handling the bombshell admission. He half expected Castiel to ask him questions, like the invasive psychological kind of questions. Or maybe he would just shelve that one and never actually go through with it. Dean just couldn't get a feel for Cas's response, aside from the obvious initial shock.

He stared at the man's stiff back as he seemed to stare at the board for several more seconds than necessary.

Then, Dean watched wide-eyed as Castiel circled 'Fake Impregnation' and carefully sat the marker down in the the tray.

Castiel turned around slowly, eyes dark as they raked over Dean's prone form on the table. Dean didn't dare to even breath.

Castiel's voice, when he spoke, was like a rumble of slow-booming thunder.

"Let's start on that one right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: The Big Money Issue (aka Dean's a hyper-macho idiot and Cas *may* be crazy obsessed with him and take it a step too far.)
> 
> Thanks for reading, superstars!


	45. Extra 6: The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: InThePalmOfMyHand
> 
> A/N: This chapter might grab you by the 'feels'. *Whispers- there's dramaaaaaa*

…-^o^-…

Ten months after 'The Rescue'…

"Dean…" Castiel's voice was quiet as he spoke into the phone, "This is the third time this week you've worked overtime…"

'Yeah, no biggie. I mean, I asked for it, so-'

"No, I understand that… but, why do you need-"

'I gotta get back to work, Cas. Listen, don't stress it, okay? I'll be home around ten tonight. Love you!'

The phone clicked and the line went dead.

Castiel sat in the silence of his office, frowning at the wall as the afternoon sun beamed in through the large window.

Castiel knew.

Of course he knew.

Dean wasn't as secretive as he seemed to think he was.

And it was obvious…

1) Dean always insisted on paying for their meals.

2) Dean demanded that he pay equally into their mortgage every month.

3) Whenever Castiel surprised Dean with a gift, Dean HAD to do the same, often trying to one-up Castiel by buying something more expensive.

Conclusion: Dean was digging himself into debt.

And it was pissing Castiel off.

The ONLY time they ever had heated quarrels in the short time they had been together had been overpaying for things. Dean was just so stupidly stubborn…

It wasn't even about the money- that's what made Castiel furious.

It was Dean's damn pride.

He just wouldn't accept that Castiel should take care of him. It didn't jibe with his 'masculine persona'. Dean wanted to be the provider. The 'giver'. The supporter, breadwinner, 'man of the house'.

It was absolutely stupid.

And a problem, apparently, if Castiel's suspicions turned out to be accurate.

Over the last several weeks, Dean had been taking phone calls in private. He was always the first to get to the mail, pulling out his own envelopes quickly, before Castiel could see them. He was getting upset easier, stressed out frequently.

He had even stopped treating himself to his usual pleasures. Just one beer when they visited the Road House. No new movies or music. Several times in stores, he had caught Dean looking longingly at T-shirts or other items, frowning at the price tag.

And that was the MOST unacceptable change, in Castiel's mind.

Dean had NO RIGHT to force himself to penny pinch just because he had some ancient, skewed ideology about what being a 'man' meant.

Castiel released a tight, hissing breath just thinking about it. His desk phone began ringing on his desk, but he reached out, picking it up, only to slam it back down- hanging up on whoever was on the other side. He wasn't in the mood for work. He wasn't in the mood for anything.

He HATED this.

He loved Dean, but it was all just too much. Castiel didn't consider himself the possessive type. And he certainly didn't share Dean's macho-idiotic ideas about taking care of his loved one at expense to oneself, necessarily…

But, frankly, Dean was HIS and HE had the ability to take care of the man, and it KILLED him that Dean wouldn't give him that chance.

Okay…maybe he did have a small touch of desire to be a provider… But, if anyone in this relationship should, it was him.

Castiel gritted his teeth, staring down at his phone.

Dean was going to work himself to death trying to keep up with Castiel. And their relationship was already showing strain from the tension.

It was unacceptable. And it was ending.

Today.

Castiel snatched up his keys and coat, his foul mood growing as he stomped to the door and into the reception area where the secretaries were seated.

"I'm leaving early today," he bit out, passing the surprised women stiffly. He jabbed the elevator 'Down' button with more force than necessary, anger trickling into his mind at a dangerous rate.

"O-okay, boss," Charlie's worried voice responded. He didn't even glance at her, stepping into the elevator as soon as the door slid open.

…

Dean stepped into the house quietly, frowning at the sight of the living room lights on. Was Cas still up? Maybe working on something? The other side of the house was dark, indicating that Lisa and Ben (who were residing in the extra rooms of the house to save money) were already asleep in their far portion of the large home.

He turned the corner to find Castiel seated on the sofa, paperwork spread in front of him on the coffee table.

"Hey, babe. They got you working on another Think Tank or something?" Dean dipped his head down to plant a kiss on Castiel's cheek.

"Dean," Castiel's voice was edged with steel and anger, "Sit down. We need to talk."

Dean felt his heart stutter in his chest. "Yeah? Uh, okay." Dean moved to the opposite couch, sitting down hesitantly. "What's up, Cas? Is this about me working late, cuz I told you-"

"Dean-" Castiel's eyes moved up to meet his and- holy shit- he was beyond pissed. Dean actually flinched at the intense look. "This is NOT acceptable. Do you understand me?"

Dean followed Castiel's hand as he gestured furiously at the documents sitting in front of him. Dean blinked, confused. He leaned forward to look at the papers-

-and felt ice fill his veins.

His bank statements. His bills. All the late statements he had been keeping tucked safely in his mail drawer. Castiel had found them. Castiel had opened his mail…

He knew.

Dean's initial fear and guilt was quickly replaced by indignant rage. "You-! Who the fuck said you could-"

"Don't you DARE-" Castiel warned, his voice deceptively soft, "Don't you DARE get mad at me. You made me do this, you-you fucking IDIOT-!" Castiel reached out, grabbing one of the statements and crumbling it in his tight grip as he held it up, "Ten thousand dollars loaned!?" He threw that paper down and snatched another up, "Seven Thousand Dollars AND three months late on the payment!"

Dean rose, launching himself forward to grab the paper Castiel was waving in his shaking hand. But Castiel clenched it tightly, refusing to release it. It ripped loudly.

Dean held his shredded half, seeing red. "Who the FUCK do you think you are? My fucking money is my own goddamn business!" He threw the scraps down in front of him and spun around, away from Castiel. Furious and humiliated, Dean kicked out blindly, cracking the wood paneling of the side table by the sofa. The noise was sharp in the angry silence of the room.

It didn't help.

"…I've paid it off," Dean sucked in a deep breath, spinning to stare at Castiel, who was still sitting tight-lipped on the couch, eyes burning holes into Dean's. "All of it."

Dean felt lightheaded. He blinked down at the pile of papers, then back at the man. There had been over Thirty-Six Thousand Dollars of debt that he owed. Money he had no possible way of paying off in the next several decades with the interest rates and late fees adding up.

And Castiel had just waved a magic-fucking-wand and made it disappear.

"You…you-!" Dean was shaking with barely controlled rage. "I didn't ASK for your fucking money- or your pity-!

Castiel slammed his palms onto the table, rising with a fury that met and matched Dean's, "It's OUR money and YOU put me in this position-!"

Dean recoiled, burned by the accusation, "WHAT-!"

"You're stupid need to treat me like a-a needy, helpless WOMAN- as if we're in the goddamn stone ages-! I'm sick of it! You have no RIGHT to be this stupid, Dean!"

Dean was too angry to speak. He stood across from Cas, shuddering with the need to fight- to physically lash out and punch the man- for embarrassing him so thoroughly. For pointing out his humiliating failures.

He shook his head, partly trying to shake the urge to strike out, and partly to deny Castiel's words. His breathing was ragged, hands clenching so tight the bones ached.

"We're done. We're so FUCKING DONE," Dean grit out, "Fuck you!"

Dean turned without another word, slamming the front door behind him so hard that picture frames on the hall table fell over.

Castiel listened to the sound of the Impala roaring to life, then the squeal of tires peeling out.

From the far side of the house, the muffled sound of Ben crying started up. Castiel sank into the sofa cushions, numb with shock and anger.

…

Dean had arrived late the night before at the Winchester family house, now occupied by Sam, Jess and two little girls- aged four and seven- that the couple were fostering.

Dean had been too angry the night before to even explain his sudden appearance at Sam and Jess' house, throwing himself onto the living room sofa with an angry grunt. Sam had been careful not to make his brother angrier, recognizing when his brother needed to calm down alone. He hadn't seen Dean so upset in months, or maybe even a year.

So that was it, then. He and Castiel must have had some sort of disagreement.

Sam didn't question his brother until the following morning when he walked into the kitchen to find Dean brooding listlessly over a bowl of soggy, uneaten cereal. It took several minutes, but Sam finally managed to get an answer out of the older Winchester.

"Dean…" Sam tried to word the question delicately, knowing by his brother's rigid body that he was pissed. "What do you mean you and Castiel aren't together anymore?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, Sammy. We're done. Don't fucking ask me about it again." He watched Dean finally shovel the soaked cereal into his mouth, the grimace at the mushy texture.

Sam's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Yeah. Okay, dude."

Jess walked in, worried eyes taking in Dean's hunched form, then turning to Sam. He shook his head, indicating for her not to say anything. She nodded back, moving over to the refrigerator to pull out breakfast ingredients.

In a cheerful voice, she asked, "Would you like an omelette, Dean? The girls will be up soon and they'll eat everything in sight so-"

Apparently NOT the right question.

Dean shot up and barreled past his brother and out of the house, scowling even as he backed out of the driveway and disappeared down the road just moments later.

Sam sand Jess stepped away from the front window where they were peering out wide-eyed, letting the curtains drop back into place.

By way of explanation, Sam mumbled, "Castiel apparently makes awesome omelets. Dean says they broke up last night."

"Ah. That'll do it. So…" Jess began, "I'll see if I can figure out what happened on Castiel's side?"

"Yeah. Yeah, thanks Jess. I'll see if me and the guys can get more out of Dean."

…

"You know…TVs more interesting when it's actually ON."

Dean flinched at his brother's voice, rubbing his hand over his face. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting in the silent living room. He hadn't even heard Sam come home.

It had been four days since he and Cas had their fight.

Four days since they had last spoken.

Four days since Dean had ended their relationship, storming out of their house and leaving Cas behind.

The first few days had been easy. The rage had carried him through them.

Obviously Cas was a bastard who had stuck his nose in where he had no business. Of course Dean was angry. He was well-within his rights to be.

Cas was fucking wrong and Dean had reacted appropriately. Period. Statement. Declarative sentence.

But, the anger had trickled slowly out of his system the longer he was separated from the man.

Dean was seriously wishing for it to come the hell back because he was beginning to think MAYBE he had overreacted…

"Piss off, Sammy," Dean tried for anger, but his tone fell short, landing somewhere closer to whining. Sam ignored him, sitting heavily down onto the sofa and placing his cell phone onto the coffee table in front of them.

"Hey- my house now, jerk. You're the guest here," Sam was using his ultra-bitchy voice, the hesitance around Dean having only lasted until the end of the first day, when he had finally found out what the big fight had been about. "You're the loser hiding from your boyfriend because he paid your fucking bills for you. I wish I had that problem, geez… Do you have any idea how expensive it is to raise kids?" Sam huffed, leaning back on the sofa. "You might as well go home, anyway," Sam added coyly, glancing over to Dean as he added lightly, "It's not like Castiel's even staying there…"

Dean took the bait, turning sharply to look at Sam, "What?"

Sam shrugged, watching his brother closely in the corner of his eye, "Yeah, Castiel's been crashing at one of Gabriel's mansions or whatever for the last few days. He's got Lisa and Charlie feeding and playing with the cats. Gabriel was just complaining to us about it at the Road House earlier." He had Dean's full attention now, watching his brother's face scrunch up in confusion. Sam fought back a smirk, continuing, "Apparently he's been hitting Gabe's alcohol stock pretty hard. The dude finally kicked him out yesterday to find somewhere else to drink himself stupid every evening. Said Cas stumbled in at three o'clock this morning and passed out. Didn't even make it into work today."

Sam spared another glance at his brother. Dean was staring blankly at the floor, fingers digging into the couch fabric. "…you okay, dude?"

Dean jolted out of his somber thoughts, blinking at Sam. He muttered, "Fine. It's whatever. 'He's just acting stupid cuz he's mad. He'll knock it off and be back to 'Mr. Fucking Perfect Businessman' in no time."

Sam frowned at his brother. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right. He's just binge-drinking constantly because he's a little upset." Dean scowled at his brother, who pressed on, "I mean, anyone would be angry when they're in love with a fucking jackass who digs himself into debt because his ego's too big to accept money from his rich boyfriend. I should go buy the poor bastard his next beer. He's earned it for putting up with your shit for as long as he did."

"Will you shut the fuck up, Sammy?" Dean stood, pacing across the room, arms crossed over his chest. "This isn't on me! It's not my fault the dude's rolling in cash and I'm- I'm-" Dean didn't finish.

"You're what, Dean? Just a mechanic? 'Just' a member of a halfway decent garage band? What is it, dude? What bullshit excuses are you telling yourself that make you so sure you're not good enough for Cas?"

"That's not-"

"Ooh! Tag me in, Sammy! I've got this!"

Dean's eyebrows shot up his forehead as he stared slack-jawed at Sam's cell phone. "M-Mom?" Dean shot a furious green-eyed glare at his brother and hissed, "You told Mom and Dad? You fucking rat-!"

"Hey, hey, hey-! I'll have none of that, young man!" Mary's angry voice snapped from the phone. Dean sulked as Sam shot him a shit-eating smirk. "This is all about YOU. I swear to God, boy, you must be TRYING to sabotage your relationship with Castiel!"

"What-?!" Dean bellowed, rising from his seat. "Mom- I don't know what Sam told you, but-"

"Nice try, but I filled her in on the details, myself, Dean-o."

Dean's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Gabriel-?! What the fuck IS this? How many people are on the damn line?!"

Charlie's cheerful voice sang out, "Pretty much everyone! It's a 'phone intervention'. A 'phone-tervention'!"

Even Sam winced.

"You- you all need to learn to mind your own damn business! This is between me and Cas-"

"Dean, honey, for fuck's sake-" Mary's voice snapped irritably, "Don't you try and make this about something else. You KNOW what you're actually pissed about. You don't think you deserve Castiel. That's why you couldn't stand having him pay for anything- you wanted him think you were equals. Well, sweetie, sorry to break it to you, but you're NOT. I know it's tough to hear, but there it is."

Sam spoke more gently from beside him, "Dean, you're fucking this all up. You. Not Castiel. Yeah, he shouldn't have stepped in without asking to pay your debt off for you, but you understand WHY he did it, don't you…?"

Dean sighed, rubbing his hands through his hair in agitation. "He just- Fuck!- I've got NOTHING. I don't even have a damn education! Sometimes I hear him talk about work and all I can think is- Jesus Christ! The dude knows, like, ten languages! He has friends in other countries. People respect him. Depend on him. Hell- half the fucking city worships the guy! I-I can't match that! I seriously have NO FUCKING IDEA why he likes ME so much!" Dean's face contorted into a pained mask as he whispered, "Sometimes I think he's just gonna suddenly wake up one morning, look at me, and realize how useless I am."

From the phone came the sounds of almost a dozen pained groans. The face-palms were practically audible.

"Dean," Sam was shaking his head, "I don't know how the hell you can be so fucking cocky about everything except your relationship with Castiel." Sam raised his hands for emphasis, "The dude is so unhealthily obsessed with you- it's crazy, man. I get why you're freaking out about it- I do! Yeah, he's like, super-smart and awesome and all that shit. But, Dean," Sam held his brother's eye and spoke clearly, "He-Thinks-You-Shit-Rainbows. He literally ONLY cares about YOU. You are ALL he talks about. ALL he thinks about. Ask anyone-" Sam waved his hand towards the phone, "Whenever you're not around, the dude freaks out, like he doesn't know what to do with himself."

"Gigantor's right, dumbass," Gabriel added eloquently, "I don't know WHY, but it's totally true. My socially inept baby bro loves you and it's weird and it makes no sense and it's definitely a dangerous level of crazy, but honestly it is NO surprise to ANYONE that he opened your mail and paid your fucking bills without permission."

There were murmurs of agreement from everyone on the line., and at least one 'idjit!' Sam raised his hands helplessly, as if there was nothing else to say. No explanations or excuses left to make.

Dean stared around the room, almost disbelieving.

Dean had never actually seen Castiel interact around the others without him there. All of their attention was always pretty much on each other when they were together…

Was Cas really… that into him?

It WAS kinda crazy that he would notice Dean was getting himself into financial problems, then go to such extremes to fix it….

Dean had immediately assumed Cas was being an overbearing rich dick, throwing around his money just because he could and because he felt sorry for Dean.

But if Cas was actually just, well… crazy-obsessed with him…

"Dude-" Sam groaned, "you're so fucking creepy! What is that smile…?"

"Oh my God- he's doing the dopey grin?!" Jo's voice rang out.

"God, they're BOTH insane," came Lisa's voice, "Castiel does the exact same thing when he stares at Dean. It's sorta adorable, in a weird, sociopath kind of way."

"Lisa…" Dean protested weakly, but a small smile was curving up into a full-blown grin. He muttered quietly, more to himself, "Cas IS kinda crazy, huh…? Like, legitimately hung-up on me?"

Sam frowned, feeling mild alarm start to rise at the look on Dean's face. "Uh…yeah, probably…?"

"Cas is, like, crazy-hooked on me…." Dean appeared to be in his own little world at this point, realization dawning across his face.

"Why are you saying that like it's a good thing, dude?" Sam rolled his eyes. "Just- go talk to him, would ya? Downside to having someone romantically fixated on you, is that when you cuss them out and try to end the relationship- they tend to take it pretty badly."

Dean paused, his smile dropping. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah, loser," Gabriel piped in, "You should probably come get Cassie before he manages to drown himself in liquor again tonight."

Dean was already grabbing his jacket and keys, shouting towards the phone, "You're with him now? Where?!"

"Ivanov's bar downtown. And step on it, Deano. Cassie does NOT handle his vodka gracefully."

…

Ivanov's Bar was brightly lit with neon and black lights. Dean rushed in the familiar front entrance only to be greeted by the VERY unhappy scowls of the huge staff members. Dean flinched. Apparently word had gotten around about the fight…

Dean squashed the panic he felt, moving to the counter with purpose and demanding, "Where the hell's my boyfriend at?"

The three men looming from the other side snickered.

A low rumbling voice came from behind Dean, "Ah-! If it isn't pretty EX-boyfriend-"

Dean turned quickly, neck craning to meet Anton's eye, "Cut the shit and tell me which room Cas is in."

Anton's lip curled up, "Cas-sie does not want to see you."

Dean growled, poking the huge man's chest, "You'll tell me where the hell he is, or I'm gonna beat the answer out of you."

"HAHA-!" Anton and his friends bellowed, "You think you can hurt me, pretty boy? I will pop your tiny head like grape."

Dean's hand shot up, grabbing the collar of the man's shirt and dragging him down so Dean could snarl, "I'm feeling pretty confident, Anton. Wanna try me-?"

Anton's eyes narrowed as he stared at Dean thoughtfully, "…I warned you not to hurt Cas-sie. You failed. Are you here, now, to hurt him more?" There was an edge of warning to his voice.

"No, fucktard, I'm here to apologize and take him home."

The two men had a glare-off for several more seconds, before Anton gave a short nod. Dean released his shirt. "Which room is he in?"

"Cas-sie is in the bar downstairs. Come." Anton turned gesturing down the hallway. Dean followed his bulky form, feeling a small wave of apprehension.

Dean had been expecting another small karaoke room, like they had visited before, on their first date. Instead, Anton opened a door labeled 'Staff Entrance' which led into an enormous room packed full with people.

"The hell-?" Dean asked, voice drowned by the sudden burst of loud music and voices. Anton continued moving in front of him, and Dean kept close, eyes taking in the scene around him.

It was smaller than the Road House interior, but not by much. There were no pool tables or dart boards that Dean could see. Just tables and bodies and a…disco floor-?

Dean gaped at the disco ball spinning in the flashing lights above two dozen people doing 'The Hustle'.

Christ…

In front of him, Anton drew to a stop. Dean realized that they were in a corner, beside the bar itself.

And there was Castiel…

His face was somber, eyes focused intently on the beverage in front of him with purpose.

Shit…

He hadn't noticed Dean yet. But, Gabriel, who appeared to be hovering unhappily over his brother's slumped form, spotted Dean and Anton as soon as they appeared.

Anton moved forward, voice shifting dramatically into a soft, pleading tone, "Cas-sie, you have a visitor…."

Castiel didn't turn his head, instead taking a deep gulp. Dean cringed. Fuck- what was he drinking? It looked like some serious shit…

Anton moved in closer, hand trying to slide the tumbler carefully away from the man, "Cas-sie, it is time to stop, yes?"

Castiel's hand shot out, grabbing Anton's wrist as he slurred a warning, "Leave it."

Anton withdrew his hand, rubbing his wrist gingerly. His eyes met Dean's and he nodded for Dean to try.

Dean took a deep breath, and moved next to Castiel. "H-hey, Cas."

Castiel turned, bleary eyes squinting up. "Dean…?"

Holy shit- Cas was GONE. Dean watched as the man blinked dazedly at him. How much had he drank already?

Dean shot Anton a furious look that had the large man shuffling uncomfortably. He turned back to Cas, voice gentle and soothing, "C'mon, Cas. Let's get you home." Dean took Castiel's arm, but the man shrugged him off.

"Home?" He slurred, frowning, "M'not goin' home. Not gotter' home. Fuckoff." He made a move to pick up his drink again and Dean pulled it out of reach, handing it behind him to Anton in a swift movement.

"No, no. You're done here. Let's go home, okay babe?" Dean tried to sound casual, rubbing Castiel's arms gently. "C'mon. Let's get you to bed. We can talk tomorrow, alright?"

Castiel made a snorting noise, "Not leaving. 'M drinking. Go'way."

Dean huffed a frustrated sigh. This was going to be tough. Cas was wasted, but he could still put up a pretty good resistance if Dean tried to drag him out of the bar. Maybe Anton and Gabriel would help carry him out…?

Dean glanced over at the two men who were frowning and casting Castiel worried looks.

Maybe not…

Dean considered his options. He needed to get Cas to leave- preferably willingly.

An idea struck him. "Aw…you don't wanna go home with me, Cas? To our bed? Just you and me…?" Dean kept his voice low and pitched just right.

Castiel's brow furrowed deeply, his eyes trying focus on Dean. "…s-sex?"

Dean leaned in closer, rubbing his jaw along Castiel's neck as he hummed into his ear. "Yeah, handsome, sex. You never turned me down before. You're not gonna start now…? Huh…?" He placed a soft kiss on Castiel's overheated temple, feeling the man shudder beneath him.

Castiel stood abruptly, banging Dean chin painfully into his shoulder. "Yes," he stated firmly, eyes dull but determined, "Sex."

Then, he fell sideways.

Dean caught him fast, trying to keep his heavy form upright. "Uh-little help here?" He asked over his shoulder to Anton.

The Russian stepped forward, bending over, and picked the drunk man up bridal style. Castiel made a weak protesting noise, but Dean just patted his leg.

"Don't worry, we'll be home soon. Everything'll be alright…"

Dean was jerked back- hard- to find Gabriel inches from his face, eyes bright and dangerous. "There will be NO sex until my baby brother is sober, you got me Winchester?"

Dean stuttered, "Whoa-yeah, duh, dude. I-I was just trying to, you know, incentivize him, okay? Geez-!"

Gabriel's narrow eyes watched him for another second, before releasing Dean's wrinkled shirt. "You better get this shit straightened up, Dean-o."

Dean nodded, swallowing thickly.

…

Castiel was passed out for the long ride to their home outside the city. He started to come to as Dean struggled to carry his limp body up the stairs to their bedroom. By the time Dean collapsed, pulling Castiel with him onto the bed, the man was groaning his way back into consciousness.

"Where'm'I…?" He mumbled, blinking his red eyes around the dim room.

"WE are home," Dean answered, moving to start pulling Castiel shoes and clothes off.

"Oh…mmmn, yes," Castiel nodded, seeming to understand, "Sex. Yes."

Dean chuckled, "Negative, sweetheart. You are getting a glass of water and tucked in for the night." Castiel let him tug his shirt over his head, frowning as the words slowly sank in.

"No…sex?" He sounded hurt.

"No, sex. Sleep." Dean returned, unable to stop his grin at the sight of Castiel's petulant face.

"You said sex."

"I lied."

Castiel made a pained face, slumping forward to throw his arms around Dean, "But I want you," he whined, "Wanna be in you and make you feel g-good…"

Dean let the man rub himself over him, smiling. "Oh, you do, huh?" Castiel nodded emphatically, nibbling uncoordinatedly along Dean's neck. "Well, I think your body didn't get the message. You drank an awful lot…" He indicated the man's noticeably limp cock.

Castiel followed his gaze, frowning down at his bare crotch disappointedly, then blinked back at Dean. "That is…not of import."

Dean shook with barely contained laughter, which appeared to make Castiel more frustrated.

"You dare d-deny me, Dean? I won't s-stand for your insolence." He glowered adorably.

Dean was almost hysterical, clutching his stomach. "Dude, you sound like fucking Thor or something! What are you even saying-!"

"Dean…" Castiel wrapped himself around the man tightly, growling, 'You will supply me with the promised sex, or my wrath will be considerable."

"Oh-oh my God, Cas-!" Dean could barely breath from laughing. He pulled the man down on the bed alongside him, "God-I fucking love you, you weirdo!" He planted kisses all across Castiel's downturned lips and heavy brow.

"You don't love me…"

Dean stopped, pulling away to take in Castiel's suddenly pained face. "Cas-"

"You left me. You left me, Dean…" His slurred voice was tight with pain as he buried his face against Dean's shirt, mumbling sadly, "All I wanted was to dress you up an' buy you nice things an' make you feel special a-an' you wouldn't let me. Why won't you let me love you, Dean?"

He pulled back, bleary blue eyes shining pathetically as he searched Dean's for an answer.

"Cas," Dean sighed softly, "I DO love you- promise. I just…Listen, we can talk about this in the morning, okay?"

He moved to get up, but Castiel grabbed onto handfuls of his shirt. "No! Don't-don't leave me again, Dean- please-!"

Dean's heart melted and he rolled back onto the bed. "Cas, hey, I'm not gonna leave you again. I was just being stupid before. I just got angry cuz I was embarrassed, okay? I don't…it's just…weird, having someone taking care of me and paying for stuff…"

Castiel's huge eyes were inches from Dean's, his head resting half-off his pillow as he murmured, "But I like taking care of you…makes me happy when you're happy…"

Dean smiled softly, "Yeah…I know the feeling." He ran his hand through the messy dark hair. Castiel's eyes closed and hummed contentedly. "Go to sleep, you sap. We'll talk in the morning…"

…

Castiel groaned painfully, his head full of shards of glass and pins and needles and- damn- all things painful and unwanted.

"Here," Dean's soft voice spoke from somewhere nearby, and then Castiel was being handed things. He recognized the familiar shape of pills, followed by a glass of cold, delicious water.

"Unhh…" Castiel whimpered after finishing the entire glass.

"How ya doing, champ?" Dean's voice was blessedly soft.

Castiel forced his eyes open finally, head throbbing as the light assaulted him. Dean was sitting beside him on the edge of the bed, rubbing a hand over his back.. "Oh…fucking Gabriel…"

There was a moment of silence, then Dean asked, confused, "Uh, I don't think Gabriel's actually responsible this time, babe."

"Umph…maybe not…" Castiel managed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I just assumed…" He blinked up at Dean again, face scrunching up, "What happened…?"

"You got drunk at Ivanov's. I brought you home. I called Charlie to let her know you were gonna take a sick day."

"I…Oh-" Castiel's brain finally started working, and he remembered WHY he was trying to drink himself to death. "We- we're…" He couldn't bring himself to finish.

"We're fine," Dean finished firmly, holding Castiel's eye, "I acted like a jackass, but we're good now. Aren't we…?"

Castiel frowned, feeling a bubble of hope rise up inside of him. "You're…not angry at me anymore?"

"Cas…look, I-I shouldn't have been upset in the first place. I'm sorry." Dean looked so sad, it made Castiel's chest hurt. "I've been selfish. I just-I don't have…anything, you know? I mean, money-wise. I wanna be able to treat you special all the time, but it's tough since you're so-"

"Dean," Castiel stopped him, pulling him into a tight hug, "having you with me is ALL I want. Money has nothing to do with it."

Dean sighed against Castiel, "Yeah. You're crazy for that, you know? I don't know why you like me so much, but I…I'm glad. I love that you love me so much just for being my own boring self."

Castiel rolled his eyes, regretting the motion as a wave of dizziness swept over him. As soon as passed, he replied, "Dean, you're not 'boring'. You're an incredibly talented mechanic, you sing in a band that the whole city loves, and you risked your life to save me from a bunch of power hungry maniacs- even after I repeatedly told you to give up on me. You're…you're so perfect."

"Geez, Cas-" Dean blushed.

"And you'd be even more perfect if you'd let me pay for stuff," Castiel muttered casually.

Dean shifted to give him an unimpressed look.

Castiel shrugged, then smiled, "I love you, Crazy."

"I love you, too, Crazy."

They leaned in, kissing softly.

"Ah…I should brush my teeth…"

"Yeah, you should…" Dean grinned through a grimace, but then dipped back in for another kiss. "Ugh…yeah, nope. Damn, Cas, you taste like you drank a whole liquor store."

"It feels like it…" Castiel mumbled ruefully, curling into Dean's warm arms with a small groan.

…

Dean shifted uncomfortably in front of his locker in the break room at Bobby's garage. He shrugged off his jacket nervously, trying to keep his eyes ahead of him as Benny regaled Adam and another night shift mechanic about his most recent date with Anna.

He knew the second they spotted it. Everything went silent, then Adam's excited voice exclaimed, "Holy-! Is that a-"

Benny whistled. Dean's face was bright red as he turned to their gaping faces. He held up his wrist and mumbled, "Uh, yeah. Cas, um, Cas got it for me. Ya know how he is…"

The watch gleamed beautifully in the overhead lighting. It had to have cost over three thousand dollars- at least. Dean had bit back the question when Castiel had presented it to him, knowing that money was still a…tense subject between them. They'd talked it out- at length- and agreed that gifts were never allowed to be questioned, and certainly never allowed to be obligatorily returned.

Dean knew that it was a test. Castiel's face was blank as he held the brand new watch out to Dean the evening before. His eyes were wide and watchful, taking in Dean's expression.

Dean had taken one deep, steadying breath, then leaned in, planting a kiss on Cas' mouth. Then, he had pulled away, extending his arm with a grin for Castiel to put the new watch on him.

Castiel's smile had been beautiful.

Now, as the rest of the group crowded him, eager to examine the expensive ornament, Dean couldn't help but feel the urge to preen.

It was a pretty awesome watch. Exactly the kind Dean often salivated over in the stores.

It was weird to feel proud about wearing something that he hadn't paid for himself, but…

…but Cas's smiling face was still floating in the forefront of his mind, so fuck it.

His awesome boyfriend loved him and wanted him to be happy.

And he was.

…

"CAS-"

Castiel flinched at Dean's sharp tone.

"What- what the hell, dude?" Dean was rubbing his hand over his face. "No- I'm sorry, but no. I've gotta draw the line somewhere. This is-" he gestured helplessly at the new jewelry case, filled with five more watches, including an empty spot that Dean could only assume the watch he was wearing belonged. "Geez, dude. You're killing me-!"

"You don't like them."

It was a statement, not a question, whispered quietly. Dean immediately looked over to see Castiel's slumped shoulders and downcast eyes. "Aw…fuck, Cas! Don't- don't start that! I- you know I like 'em!"

"So, you'll wear them…?"

"Cas-"

"I-I couldn't decide which one would look best on you. They can, maybe, count as your early Christmas gift? That's okay, right?"

That was lie.

Christmas was two months out and Dean just KNEW Cas was still going to get him more shit between now and then. The guy couldn't stop himself. There was already an almost entirely new wardrobe in his closet, a new entertainment suite downstairs, even new rims on Baby.

But, Dean crumbled under the watery blue gaze, just like he had for all the other gifts. God, he was pathetic…

"They're…great, Cas. Just- I'm serious this time, alright? Nothing else- including for Christmas! You got me?"

Castiel was suddenly crowding Dean against the bedroom wall, kissing the frown off his face.

Which wasn't an answer to Dean's question. But, Dean just sighed, and tugged Cas in closer.

Because seeing Dean happy made Cas happy.

And seeing Cas happy made Dean happy.

It all worked out in the end, Dean figured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having fun with these 'Extras' so just bear with me a bit longer!
> 
> Next up: I don't want to give it away, but...there are rings and questions involved. *Dances excitedly*


	46. Extra 7: Anniversary Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: InThePalmOfMyHand
> 
> A/N: This one is short, but sweet. (Some of you may gasp with shock at the idea that I could actually write something short-I know I'm surprised...)(Did I ever mention that when I started writing this I expected the ENTIRE STORY to be about ten chapters long? Yeah. Epic Fail.)

…-^o^-…

One year, to the day, after 'The Rescue'…

"Thank you both for coming," Castiel greeted Mary and John Winchester outside the Road House. "I, uh, was actually surprised you'd come all the way from Tennessee to be here for this…"

"Oh, honey! We wouldn't miss it for the world! Especially not after Sam's sneaky little proposal to Jess without telling anyone." Mary's face was dark at the mention of her younger son's betrayal.

"You got a nice ring for my boy?"

John's gruff question had Castiel shifting nervously. "Yes, sir. Of course."

John watched him closely, nodding his head. "They told you how his last proposal went…?"

"Yes, sir. I, uh, I'm confident this one will go, er, smoother. I hope."

"Stop scaring the poor man, John!" Mary smacked her husband's chest, "He's obviously already scared enough. Don't make this even harder on him." She turned to Castiel with a bright smile that reminded him of Dean, and calmed his nerves. "You are gonna do just fine, Sweety. I have a feeling everything will work out even better than expected."

Castiel nodded, missing her smirk. Or John's elbow digging into her rib.

"We should go inside before the show starts." John stated, frowning warningly at his wife.

"Right! Don't want to miss Dean's performance, do we?" Mary was all smiles as they shuffled Castiel into the packed Road House.

Castiel led them through the packed crowd, over to the tables set up for his and Dean's friends and family. Everyone watched Castiel excitedly as he approached with Dean's parents.

"Almost that time, huh?" Ash asked, beaming, "Gonna hop up on the stage as soon as they finish the last song, right?"

Castiel gave a stiff nod, eyes wide as he stared nervously at the table in front of him. His hand was in his pocket, clutching the ring box tightly.

Everyone gathered at the tables grinned knowingly to each other, watching the man's stiff form.

"I'm very happy for you, son."

Castiel glanced up to meet his father's blue eyes. "Thank you, father." Teddy smiled softly.

At that moment, the light faded to black. The noises died down around the crowded bar and packed lot outside.

…

"I'm gonna pass the fuck out, dude. I-I can't do this-! Not in front of all these people! What if-what if he says 'no'? I can't-"

"Dean, calm down," Sam patted him on the back, "You'll be fine. Castiel loves you. He'll say 'yes'."

"I'm gonna wait- till afterwards. In private." Dean was practically hyperventilating, clutching onto the speakers for balance.

"Dean, you invited everyone to come out to be here for this. You're not gonna disappoint them, are you?"

"Hey," Benny hopped up onto the stage, hurrying over to them, "I just saw you guys' parents. They made it."

"Oh my GOD-" Dean panicked.

"You're fine," Sam reassured him, flashing a grin to Benny behind Dean's back, "Come on, Dean, time to get in position."

"Oh my GOD-" Dean repeated, not moving. "Is-is Cas here? Maybe he got held up in a meeting. I should just-"

"He's here, Dean. It's time. Man up, dude!" Sam yanked Dean away from the speakers and handed him his guitar. "You've got the ring, right?"

Dean's hand darted down to his pocket where the small ring was tucked safely. He nodded.

Benny and Sam both nodded encouragingly, then Benny sent the signal across the lot to cut the lights.

Everything went dark.

After a few moments, the bright stage lights cut on, flooding Dean and the stage. There were loud cheers and shouts from the audience. Almost instinctually, Dean eyes searched out, and found, Castiel's. The blue-eyed man smiled.

And everything seemed to go…soft.

Dean's nerves and fear and worries- everything faded.

Dean stepped up to the microphone.

"How's everyone feeling tonight!?"

The crowd roared, arms waving excitedly up at him.

"Hell yeah!" Dean shouted back, "Well, we're gonna get right to the music for you folks. But first, there's someone I like you all to meet- Cas, come on up here!"

Across the lot, Castiel's smiled dropped, his eyes widening comically.

Suddenly, everyone around the man was half-shoving, half-dragging him to the front of the stage.

Sam and Benny reached down and pulled the man up, into the spotlight.

Dean couldn't help but grin at the terrified look on the man's face. Castiel blinked past the lights into the crowd, then turned to Dean with a nervous whisper, "D-Dean-"

Dean interrupted him, turning to smile at the crowd, "Everyone- my boyfriend, Castiel. Cas, everyone." Dean waved his arms at the screaming crowd. Castiel waved awkwardly at the shouting faces, his ears red.

Dean took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Tonight's a big night for us, so bear with me for a minute folks."

Castiel's jaw dropped as Dean took a knee, fumbling in his pocket for the ring. Dean set the mic down, taking the ring in both hands, and finally meeting Castiel's eyes. The noise of screaming and shouting and cheers drowned out Dean's words, but at that point, Castiel probably got the gist of it. Dean mouthed the words anyway, "Cas, will you marry me?"

Castiel released a laugh, eyes crinkling and head dipping forward as his hands came up to cover his red face.

Dean waited, heart hammering in his chest.

After a moment, Castiel raised his head, hand digging into his pocket. Dean watched the movement, confused.

Castiel pulled out a small box, opened it, and held it out for Dean.

Inside was a shining hazy gray band, similar to the one Dean was holding out.

It took an embarrassingly long several seconds for Dean to understand what was happening. He stayed there, on his knee frowning at the Castiel's ring and wondering why the hell the dude thought this was the appropriate time to-

Castiel mouth was moving, also unheard over the explosion from the audience, but Dean could read the his mouth, mimicking his own question.

"Dean, will you marry me?"

Then it hit Dean all at once.

He was up and lunging at Castiel, kissing every part of him that he could reach, running his hands desperately over him- shouting the whole time, "Yes-yes-yes!"

Castiel returned his kisses, their mouth missing and sliding until they finally locked on to each others'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still having so much fun! I hope you folks liked this chapter, too. My FAVORITE thing about writing this story has been how much Dean tries to be the manly-man, and has himself pretty much convinced, but everyone else is like 'No, dude, you are so totally the chick. Let it happen.'
> 
> Next Up: A LONG one. With...BABIES! Cute ones! That waddle and...stuff.


	47. Extra 8: Our Babies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: InThePalmOfMyHand
> 
> A/N: Okay, so I've never been super-comfortable with 'leaps' in stories (which is why this story is novel-length. I micro-manage the shit out of everything.) So, I'm not sure if this chapter turned out great or reads smoothly because I 'leapt' like mother-fucker through months and years to cram in everything. Bear with me...? And DEFINITELY bring anything that seems wrong or off to my attention I SWEAR I'M NICE AND WONT GET UPSET! Pinky promise. (That goes for the entire story BTW-point those naughty little errors out, please.)
> 
> Enjoy.

…-^o^-…

CHARLIE: NEED EMERGENCY PICK-UP ASAP! Corner of Woodward and Third Street!

Castiel stared down at his bright phone in shock for just a moment, before throwing the covers off himself and rolling out of bed hurriedly.

"Cas-? What-" Dean rolled over, blinking in confusion.

"Charlie's in trouble!"

Dean was out of bed fast, joining Castiel as they threw on clothes in the dim light of their bedroom. "What's happened? Is she in the hospital?"

"She gave me an address- it's a corner in downtown-! I don't-"

"Hey-calm down, Cas," Dean tried to soothe him as they slipped their shoes on and ran for the front door. "It's- It's probably nothing too serious- she would've called an ambulance if she was hurt, okay?" He reached out grabbing Castiel's shaking hands as the man fumbled with his keys. "Let me drive. We'll take the Impala."

Castiel nodded, heart pounding in his chest.

As soon as they were in the car and driving fast to the address, Castiel began texting Charlie back.

CAS: On our way. Are you hurt? What's wrong?

There was no response.

CAS: !?

Castiel cursed frantically under his breath, waiting for a reply.

"Cas, come on, man. Calm down." Dean reached over, keeping his eyes on the dark, empty road as they sped into town.

Castiel held his hand tightly, staring hard at his phone, praying for Charlie to respond.

By the time they rolled up to the corner that Charlie had texted to them twenty minutes later, Castiel was a bag of raw nerves.

"Where is she!? Do you see her?" His eyes were searching the sidewalk and shadows along the buildings, terrified of seeing the young woman's body laying somewhere.

The Impala rolled to a stop at the empty intersection, both men scanning the streets for any signs of life.

"I don't see her-" Dean began, putting the car in park, just as Castiel grabbed the door handle to jump out.

There was a loud metallic noise and movement from the side of the road. A manhole cover was shoved aside as both men's eyes turned sharply towards the sound.

Gabriel's head poked out, turning in their direction.

"Bout time!" He shouted, scrambling up and out of the sewer onto the road. He turned back to the hole, hand outstretched. A second hand gripped his and suddenly Ruby was clambering out, followed by Charlie, then-

"A-Anton-?!" Castiel stuttered, disbelieving. Dean's face was also contorted in a mask of shock as they watched the group sprint for the Impala. The back door was thrown open and all four people dived gracelessly into the backseat. It took five tries to get the door shut after Anton's bulky form was finally crammed inside.

"GO-GO-GO!" Gabriel was shouting around Charlie's elbow.

"Gabriel- what the-!?" Castiel began furiously.

"DRIVE-!" The passengers all shouted in unison.

"Fuck-!" Dean murmured, throwing the vehicle into drive and burning out as they shot down the road.

"NOT THIS WAY! OUT OF THE CITY-FAST! WE GOTTA LAY LOW!" Gabriel was nearly shrieking.

Dean switched gears abruptly, yanking the steering wheel completely around. The Impala drifted nearly twenty-five feet as they did a one-eighty.

Castiel had a leg and both arms thrown up, bracing himself while the car spun dangerously around.

He shot a glare at Dean, who was grinning brightly, focused intently on the road as they began barreling back out of the city. Dean looked over, noticed Castiel's disapproving eyes on him and immediately bit back his excited smile.

Turning to the group crammed awkwardly in the back seat, Castiel demanded, "What did you DO, Gabriel?!" He paused at the faint sound of sirens in the distance behind them. "GABRIEL-!"

"It's kind of a long story, Cassie-"

"GABRIEL!"

"Alright! Sheesh!" Gabriel's muffled voice groaned. "We may have just busted Crowley in a set-up to trick him into admitting he's been doing insider contracting. But DON'T WORRY-! The police are hunting HIM, not US!"

"What-!? WHAT!?" Castiel's hands shot back, trying to grab his brother's neck past the various limbs tangled between them. "You did WHAT!?"

The car swerved between lanes as Dean tried to reach over and pull Castiel away while the man leaned over the passenger seat to grapple with his older brother. "Cas! Hey, I'm drivin' here! Kill him later!"

Castiel slid back into his seat, face a mask of fury.

"Boss, it's not his fault!" Charlie's strained voice chimed in, "Crowley's totally dark side! We've been tracking his shady deals for months!"

"She's right," Ruby's voice supplied, "The bastard had it coming. He's going to be locked up for the next century for all the shit we dug up on him."

Castiel rolled his head back against the headrest, exhaling a groan. "I can't believe this…"

"Yeah- me neither!" Dean's voice sounded affronted. Castiel turned to stare at his frowning fiance, who was looking into the rearview mirror. "You've been working on taking the dude down for months and didn't invite us!? The fuck-?"

"Dean…" Castiel shook his head, rubbing his hand over his tired eyes.

"Ooh! Take a left! Head to Bard Road," Charlie called out suddenly. Dean followed her instructions, making a sharp left that had everyone in the car rolling heavily to the side.

"What now-?!" Ruby demanded, shoving Anton's elbow away from her neck.

"I got a ride! Stop here-"

Dean hit the brake, tires squealing.

In the back seat, Charlie ungracefully climbed over Gabriel, tumbling out of the car into a heap. She recovered fast, jumping up and straightening her wild red hair as she glanced excitedly up and down the empty street.

Before Castiel could question her, several motorcycles suddenly turned the far corner, roaring loudly down the street. They slid to stops by the Impala.

The riders were dressed head-to-toe in black leather and dark helmets.

"Uh…Charlie…?" Dean hissed worriedly, eyeing the intimidating gang.

One of the riders, smaller than the rest, pulled off his-HER-helmet. "Hi honey! Did you have fun busting your bad guy?" The softly smiling face of Gilda beamed at their group under the dull orange glow of the street lights.

"Heck yeah!" Charlie chirped, skipping over and hopping quickly onto the back of the bike. She turned to the others with a wave. "Night losers! I'm heading home for some hero sex! Whoooh-!"

Without another word, the motorcycle gang departed in a deafening roar from the bikes.

"…we need normal friends," Dean muttered shaking his head as he put the car in gear and peeled away towards the city limits.

"And normal family." Castiel added with annoyance. He frowned at the silence following his statement. "Gabriel-? Hey, what are you doing back there-!"

"They are engaging in the 'hero sexy-times' early," Anton answered happily.

"NO-!" Castiel shouted furiously, just as Dean shrieked, "Not in my Baby you horny sickos-!" The car swerved dangerously Castiel fully dove into the back seat with Dean encouraging him to strangle his brother.

…

Later that week….

Dean sat stiffly on the living room sofa, waiting and thinking.

This was bullshit.

He rubbed his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time in the last thirty minutes.

Why was Castiel doing this? They were happy. They sure as fuck didn't need the extra money…

The front door opened, and Dean jumped up fast.

"Dean…? Have you been waiting for me?" Castiel blinked at him, confused.

Dean shifted awkwardly where he stood. "Uh, yeah…sorta. How-how'd the meeting go? They give you the thumbs up…?"

"Yes, Dean," Castiel smiled gently, moving to wrap his arms around the other man. "I know you're not happy about my decision, but, Dean-" Castiel leaned back, meeting the Winchester's eye, "Nothing is going to change, I promise."

"I just-" Dean sighed heavily, pulling Castiel back in for hug and trailing unhappy kisses along his neck, "Why'd it have to be you that took over as President? There's gotta be dozens of other people who could do that job…"

"Dean, I want this position. I want to be able to fix the mess Crowley made. The people at the ADA office need someone they can count on. I can be that person." He rubbed Dean's back as he spoke.

"You'll have to travel more…"

"Not that much."

"And work later hours…"

"Not really. I won't be doing 'Think Tanks' anymore, so I should have a more stable schedule."

"You're gonna be a big deal around town. Bigger deal…"

Castiel voice was laced with humor, "Afraid someone's going to steal me away from you, Dean?"

"Stop joking, jerk…"

Castiel breathed in the motor oil/sweat scent of Dean hungrily, loving the familiarity of it. "I promise, you'll always be my number one priority, Dean. Being the President isn't going to change anything that we have."

"What about-" Dean cut himself off, burying his face into the crook of Castiel's neck.

"Dean? It's okay- ask," he prompted softly.

Dean was silent.

Castiel moved back, forcing Dean's head up. His face was red, eyes not meeting Castiel's.

"Dean…?"

Dean took a deep breath and reluctantly locked eyes on Castiel's. "What about if- if we have…kids?"

Castiel's eyes grew so wide, Dean worried that he had broken the man.

He watched as Castiel's mouth opened and closed uselessly for several seconds. "What-real kids…? Of our own?"

Dean nodded, "Ben's growing up fast, so I just figured-"

Dean was suddenly shoved backward onto the sofa, pinned underneath a crazed Castiel as the man ripped -ACTUALLY RIPPED- his clothes off his body like a madman.

-^o^-

…three hours later…

-^o^-

Dean crawled gingerly into sitting position, holding onto the upturned kitchen chair for balance as his head spun. The movement pulled Castiel with him, the man refusing to release his death grip on Dean's waist.

"Cas, I-" Dean rasped, then cleared his sore throat and tried again, "Cas, I think you may have a 'Daddy-kink'…"

"Put it on the list." Castiel grunted tiredly against Dean's naval.

Dean slid off the chair, shaking with laughter as he pulled Castiel in for another deep kiss.

…-^o^-…

Two years after 'The Rescue'…

"He's going to hate me."

"He's not going to hate you, Dean." Sam comforted his brother while Lisa smiled softly in front of him. "He can't hate you. I seriously think it's physically impossible for him."

"He's been so excited. I'm going to crush him. Fuck-!"

"Dean," Lisa soothed, "You can do this. He'll understand."

The sound of the front door opening made Dean jump. "Oh, shit. Oh, fuck. FuckFuckFuck-"

"That's our cue," Sam muttered, giving his brother a firm back on the back. "Ben? Time to go!"

The toddler dashed excitedly into the room, hopping into his mom's waiting arms just as Castiel turned the corner and saw them. "Oh, Sam. Good afternoon. I wasn't expecting you."

"I was just heading out, actually. I'm taking Lisa and Ben to the movies. The new Avenger's is out." He pointed to Ben's Captain America T-shirt as Lisa walked past.

"Oh…I-I thought we were all going to see that together?" He knelt down to Ben's level, "Am I not cool enough?" He smirked, tickling Ben's side as he shrieked with laughter.

"I wan' Cas to go too, Mommy-!"

Lisa shushed him quickly, "Cas and Dean can't come this time, sweety. But, Uncle Sam is gonna buy us popcorn and guess what he has-? Lots of quarters!"

"CLAW MACHINE!" Ben shouted excitedly, suddenly less concerned about who was coming with them.

"Bye you two! We'll be back later tonight!" Lisa called over her shoulder as they disappeared out the front door quickly.

Castiel heard the front door shut and turned with a confused smile towards Dean, "Are you alright with that? I thought you were more excited than Ben about the new movie?" He came up short at the sight of Dean's stricken face. "Dean…?"

"I-I wanted to talk. That's why I asked them to go today."

"Oh. Okay…" Castiel tensed, watching Dean with a growing sense of dread. "We can talk. What, uh, what about?" He sat nervously on the edge of the sofa across from Dean.

"It's- it's about the adoption plan."

Castiel's sharp intake of breath was loud in the silence. He swallowed, eyes suddenly interested in the rug pattern, "Okay."

"I don't… want to adopt, Cas. I mean- not right now!"

"Oh…oh."

Castiel's body was frozen, face somber, and Dean rushed to speak, "I mean, I want a kid, Cas! Really, really bad! And, I think adopting is-is awesome. But, I- well, just hear me out, and promise not to freak out too bad, okay…?"

His voice was pleading. Castiel gave a small nod for Dean to continue.

Dean took a deep breath, raising his hands, gesturing for Castiel to wait until he finished, "I-I want your kid, Cas. Your baby…"

Castiel couldn't stop the surprised gasp, "What-?"

"I know- but, listen! I've really thought about this, and I promise, I'm totally serious. Lisa's agreed already- like, totally all for it. She gets it, so, now it's just up to you. No pressure-!"

Castiel felt light-headed. "I- what?" He asked again. "Lisa agreed to…what?"

Dean's face was all wide-green eyes as he whispered quietly, "To have the baby."

"To…to have MY baby?!"

"Yeah."

Castiel jumped up abruptly and walked halfway across the room before spinning and gaping at Dean, "I-I…you asked Lisa if she would have a BABY for us?"

"And she said 'yes'. Like, VERY 'yes'. She'd love to… She, uh, she thinks we'd be awesome parents."

"Dean…" Castiel breathed out, "That's- that's a really big deal. We can't- I can't-"

"Cas," Dean interrupted, standing up to cross over to the man. For a moment, it seemed like Castiel might make a run for it. Dean spoke gently, like calming a wild animal, "I want to raise YOUR baby. I want a kid that I can- that I can see YOU when I look at it. I need to have a little you that I can love and spoil and-" Dean ran out of breath, eyes holding Castiel's, "Cas, please understand. I know it's a lot, but I'd love the kid to death- I swear it."

There was a silence that seemed to last years as Dean held Castiel's eye.

"I-I need to think about this, Dean."

"Yeah, no- I know!" Dean answered hurriedly. "It's-it's a big decision. Take as much time as you need, Cas. I-I'm not going to rush you. Just- yeah…"

…

"You'd really be willing to have my baby?"

Lisa smiled softly at him over her coffee, "You really have to ask me that? After you pretty much raised Ben with me?"

They were sitting in the bleachers watching Ben play soccer with his team mates, kicking the ball around the field with no real goal. One kid passed the ball directly to a member of the opposing team. The little girl stared down at it thoughtfully before beaming brightly at her mother, who was desperately calling for her daughter to 'kick it, honey- kick it into the GOAL!' The little girl waved happily, before kicking the ball back to the first boy. He thanked her with a shy smile and wave.

"It's not the same," Castiel responded, frowning as another child walked over to pick up the ball in his hands and carry it half-way across the field, both coaches face-palming from the sidelines.

"I know that, Cas. You think I just agreed without giving it some thought? Honestly, when Dean first brought up that he was thinking of a surrogate, I thought he was crazy. Have some random woman agree to have a baby for money? I've never really thought understood that, you know. I mean, I get it- definitely. Everyone deserves a child. But, a stranger? Then, it just kind of hit me. I want, like, a million babies. Really, just a hoard of them. But it's hard enough to find a guy willing to even date me after they know about Ben." Lisa shrugged, "I mention having another baby and that pretty much sends the rest of them running for the hills."

"Lisa, it's still not the same. With Ben, it's simple. His father is completely out of the picture. Dean wants- he's talking about having a child for the two of us. I don't…I don't know what that would make you…"

"A mother, Cas." Lisa laughed, "I'd still be the baby's mother. And you and Dean would still be the baby's daddies. It's not as if I'm going to decide to bail one day and force you into a tough position. We're a family, Cas. We're always going to be together, even if we're not. I won't ever try to take you and Dean's baby away. I understand what Dean is asking. It would be you two's baby. And I'll be the mother. Don't complicate it, silly."

Castiel's eyes followed the small bodies running aimlessly around the field.

"You understand why Dean wants this, don't you?" Lisa asked gently.

"…yes."

"Do you want a baby? I mean, one of your own? Have you ever thought about it?"

"…yes."

"So, what's holding you back, babe?" Her voice was soft, not prying.

"I- I think I hadn't really considered that it would be possible. That I would have an option to-" He sighed, "Dean just constantly amazes me. He's almost too perfect to be real…"

Lisa grinned widely beside him, nudging him with her shoulder. "Yeah, I think he feels the same way about you."

"…Lisa?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"…"

"Spit it out, will you? What's on your mind?"

"I-I want to do it."

"Hell, yes!" She shouted excitedly, pulling Castiel into a tight hug. Several parents hissed 'language!' at them. She ignored them, "You're going to be the sweetest daddy in the world, Cas! And Dean is going to be at the kid's beck and call- just wait! Oh, and I didn't mention this to Dean, because you know him. I didn't want to get his hopes up. But…" She leaned in to whisper conspiratorially into his ear, "Most of my family has blue eyes. Both sides."

Castiel couldn't stop the small smile that crept across his face. He murmured thoughtfully, "Dean would lose it if the baby has blue eyes."

"I KNOW! I can't wait to find out!"

"Lisa," Castiel was back to watching the children on the field again, his face somber, "Do you think- would you…" Castiel ran his hands nervously through his messy dark hair in a movement that was so much like Dean that Lisa laughed.

"You want a 'baby-Dean' to go along with the 'baby-Cas'? A matching set?"

Castiel's wide-blue eyes turned towards her, stunned, "How did you-"

Lisa shook her head, beaming as she looked out at the field, "I swear, you two are so obnoxiously cute…and predictable."

"Lisa…"

"You better break the news to Dean. He's going to be a mess when he hears what you're planning."

"Thank you, Lisa. Really. This is-"

"Don't you tear up on me, Novak. I already had to deal with Dean sobbing and thanking me the first time around. I want none of it. You just get ready for Dean to go into super-baby-prep-mode. You remember how he was with Ben."

She didn't look away from the field as Castiel tugged her closer, into a tight hug. And she definitely didn't notice if he made a few subtle sniffling sounds.

…

Ten months later…

"Come on. You've got this. Breath in, breath out. Do you need water? Are you feeling light-headed?"

"Hey, maybe I'd like some- ugh!- some water over here, Cas!"

Castiel looked apologetically over to Lisa from where he was crouched next to Dean, coaching him through his panic attack. "Sorry, Lis. I'll be right with you," He turned back to Dean, squeezing his shoulder, "You can do this, Dean. Remember, we practiced. You swore you'd be conscious when the baby was born. Don't go back on that now."

Dean made a low strangled sound, taking deep breaths. He nodded finally, "I'm good. I've got this."

Castiel moved cautiously away, watching Dean's pale face. When he felt confident that Dean wasn't going to pass out, he turned to join Lisa.

"Is he going to make it?" She asked dazedly.

"Yeah, I think he's fine. It's easier this time, without you shouting and in pain, I think."

Lisa nodded, "Yeah, I'm liking it more, too. That epidural was legit…" She grinned up at him.

"Good. I-I'm glad. I don't think- if you were in pain because of me-"

"Oh, shut up with that," Lisa groaned, smiling. "All you did was donate some baby-making material to the cause." She paused to take several breaths, before continuing, "You've been apologizing way too much. Stop feeling guilty and get happy, dummy." She lowered her voice, so Dean couldn't hear, "You're about have a baby girl. Get excited."

Castiel glanced over at Dean, who was trying to collect himself, hands shaking nervously as he watched the medical staff busily moving around. In a small voice, Castiel replied, "Jo and Ellen are already at the house, moving all the girl-decor in."

They grinned at each other as Dean finally staggered his way over. "Geez, this is happening. It's actually happening. A baby. We're going to have a baby."

"Alright, let's begin pushing, okay," the doctor was encouraging.

"Ohholyfuck-!" Several nurses and Castiel all rushed to collectively catch Dean before he could drop to the floor.

"Well…" Lisa gasped between tight-teeth, "He lasted- umph- longer this time- umph! He should have it down by next time-UMPH-!"

A few short moments later, the small sound of wet grunts filled the room.

"Oh, look Cas! She's- OHH- SHIT!"

The nurses who had dragged Dean to the extra bed, sprinted across the room just in time to catch Castiel as he crumpled to the floor.

Lisa tried to crane her head to watch as the nurses pulled Castiel up. He rallied, reaching for side railing of Lisa's bed, gulping down deep breaths as the staff buzzed back and forth with his daughter. He watched the movements like the baby was a tiny anchor, keeping him conscious. After a full minute, he pulled his eyes away, to smile weakly at Lisa, "We-we don't need to tell Dean about that, okay?"

"Our secret, tough guy." Lisa grinned smugly.

…-^o^-…

One year, ten months later…

A/N: [Dee-Ann-Dree-Uh]

"Cu-ky, Da-dy?"

Deep blue eyes peered into Dean's very soul from under a mess of wild black hair.

"Unh-uh, pumkinhead," Dean managed, watching the eyes blink sadly up at him, "Papa says no more cookies for us before dinner." Deandria made a small choking sound as Dean shifted her to his other hip, and away from the cookie jar. "I know, princess. I'm sorry. We'll get one later- promise."

The toddler's tiny little brow knit in an exact replica of Castiel's frown. She nodded, bobbing her head as she looked up at her daddy. "S'kay, Da-dy." Her voice was pathetically small, and she pressed her head sadly against Dean's chest.

Dean muffled a whimper.

…

"I'm home," Castiel called out as he stepped in through the front door. He was greeted warmly by Lucifer and Impala, both weaving happily under his feet. He stepped carefully over them. "Where's my pretty lady?"

Inside the kitchen, Dean stood Deandria up on the floor, and whispered hurriedly, "Okay-finish that quickly, princess." He held up the soggy, half-eaten chocolate chip cookie for her to take. "I'll distract Papa."

"'kay Da-dy," She answered while chewing happily on her bite of mashed cookie.

Dean moved quickly to intercept Castiel.

"Oh, there you are. Where's Deedee?" Castiel asked as he placed his things down on the hallway table.

"Just hanging out in the kitchen," Dean reached out, tugging Castiel in for a warm kiss. "How was work?"

"Mmm…okay…" Castiel gave him a strange look, "Why do you taste like cookie?"

Dean stepped back quickly, "What? Cookie? Before dinner? No-!" He scoffed nervously as Castiel eyed him skeptically.

"Pa-pa!" Deandria waddled happily into the room, arms already up for a hug.

Castiel bent to pick her, pausing at the sight of melted chocolate on her cheeks and mouth. He kissed her anyway, then turned to look at Dean's guilty face. "DeeDee, you and Daddy haven't been eating cookies before dinner, have you?"

The little girl's eyes turned into wide, blue saucers, mirroring her father's familiar guilty face comically. "N-n-no-UHH-HNN!" She barely managed to get the lie out before her face crumpled into a tearful sob. "I sor-ry papa! I sor-ry-y-y!" Her choking wails rang loudly in the living room.

Castiel turned to Dean with a disappointed shake of his head.

Dean winced at the look, moving forward to pluck the crying girl from Castiel's arms. He bounced her soothingly, "It's okay, honey. It was Daddy's fault. Not DeeDee's. DeeDee is a good girl. Daddy was being naughty-"

It took both of them a whole ten minutes to calm the guilty little girl down.

…-^o^-…

Five years, eleven months after 'The Rescue'…

'Dean,' Castiel's voice was quiet on the other end of the phone, 'The pre-school says Deandria hasn't shown up yet for her first day.'

Dean grimaced, watching as his daughter tore a piece of pancake apart across from him. They were sitting in the bright corner of the diner on the square. "Th-that's…weird. Could've sworn I-"

'Dean,' Castiel sighed, 'Where are you?'

"Coffee?" Christine asked Dean, grinning as the little girl chirped up, 'yes, please, thank you!'

Dean nodded silently, speaking into the phone again, "I-uh, I think you're breaking up, Cas! I'll-try-call-can you-hear-Cas?-call-later-!" Dean hung up hurriedly.

He took a deep breath, then let his head fall forward onto the table.

"Daddy-? You sleeping, Daddy?" Dean felt Deandria's tiny hand patting his hair. "You can't sleep here, Daddy! S'not okay! Daddy-! Wake up!"

Dean grinned, face hidden. he suddenly popped his head up with a 'BOO!'.

Deandria jumped, then giggled madly. "You're silly, Daddy!" When she finally settled down several minutes later, and their plates were picked up, she looked at her new book bag thoughtfully. "I'm going to school now, Daddy?"

"Actually, princess, I was thinking maybe we could-" Dean glanced up as the diner's front door opened, and he froze.

Castiel spotted him immediately, walking over and sliding into the booth beside Deandria.

"Papa!" The little girl jumped into his arms, planting a wet kiss on his cheek.

"How..how did you-?" Dean mumbled quietly,

"Background noise," Castiel answered easily, shifting the toddler in his lap. "Dean…"

"I know-I know! But- Cas, that place is a nightmare. Have you seen the playground? It's not safe! And I scoped out some of the kids that were being dropped off- they're all twice DeeDee's size. And, uh, mean looking. And don't get me started on the teachers-!"

"Dean," Castiel's face was calm, not revealing anything, "We are taking DeeDee to school- now. She'll be fine. Won't you, DeeDee?" He turned to smile at the little girl.

"Un-huh, Papa! I'm gonna color and Bubba says they have a slide that's this tall-!" She hopped up on the seat raising her hand in the air.

Castiel held her waist and warned, "Careful, DeeDee, no jumping."

Across from them, Dean sighed miserably. "Fine…"

…

Castiel had to drag Dean reluctantly from the classroom while over a dozen pairs of wide little eyes stared. The teacher was handling it very gracefully, he thought, reassuring Dean that the little girl was in the very best of hands.

Once they finally made it outside, Castiel caught Dean before he could climb into the Impala.

"Dean…" The green-eyed man flinched, turning, "The house. Now."

Without another word, Castiel turned to his own car and left.

Dean followed, chest squeezing painfully as they left the city.

He really fucked up this time. Was it possible to 'kidnap' your own kid? Damn it- Cas was going to really tear into him for this one….

When they arrived home, Dean sat in the car, too worried to face going inside and dealing with Cas's lecture about 'over-coddling' as he liked to put it.

It WASN'T over-coddling, though. Dean had SEEN that infamous slide out in the playground area. It was, like, TEN FUCKING FEET HIGH-! No way that was safe! And HE was a bad parent for trying to keep his baby-girl safe-? Fuck that-

A sharp rapping at the window startled Dean. He jumped, glancing guilty over at Castiel, who mouthed 'Out. Now.' and pointed to the house.

Dean took a deep breath, hesitantly climbing out of the car.

He shut the front door behind him, pausing to stare worriedly at Castiel's stiff back.

"Cas, listen, I-"

Castiel continued walking, heading for the stairs.

His coat hit the floor.

Followed by his blazer.

He was undoing his belt as he hit the first step at the stairwell, and dropping his slacks by the time he was half-way up.

Dean blinked up, watching the man disappear around the corner at the top.

The sound of the bedroom door opening jarred Dean from his stunned thoughts.

"Huh…" Dean muttered, before moving quickly up the stairs, hopping excitedly around the scattered articles of clothing.

Castiel was already spread out on the bed, handling himself. "Hey! That's mine-!" Dean growled, diving onto the bed.

Castiel smacked his hand away, shaking his head, "No. You're being punished. Sit there and watch. NO TOUCHING."

Dean's jaw dropped, eyes bulging, "Excuse me-!?"

Castiel sent him a hard look, clearly not joking.

Dean made a small, hurt sound. "Cas, c'mon-"

Castiel burrowed himself deeper into the pillows by the headboard, watching Dean with half-closed eyes. "No talking, either."

Dean pursed his lips, glaring.

On the bed beside him, Castiel stretched out his legs and trailed his hand slowly down his chest, over his happy trail and-

Dean made a pathetic sound.

Castiel smirked, hand stopping just above his cock. "Could you pass me the lube, Dean?" He asked sweetly, smiling over at his fiancé.

"A-are you shitting me right now!? No. No, I'm not going to-to enable your torturing me. Fuck that."

"Oh…well." Castiel removed his hand completely, making to stand up. "I should get back to work anyway-"

Dean's hand caught his, jerking back on the bed. "You damn tease!" He tossed a leg over Castiel's hips, straddling him and holding down to plant furious kisses down his chest.

Castiel erupted into breathy laughter. "Get the lube, Dean. If you behave, I might let you participate after I've had my fun watching you squirm."

"Mmm…promise?" Dean murmured against Castiel's warm neck.

"Do you promise not to interfere with our daughter's education in the future?"

Dean sighed dramatically, "I guess…"

"Good. We need to start working on baby number two now, anyway."

Dean pulled back slowly, eyes wide. "Y-yeah-? You're ready?" His voice was tinged with a glimmer of hope and excitement.

"Yeah, I think so," Castiel whispered, grinning. Suddenly, his hand shot out, smacking loudly against Dean's bare ass and making the man yip. "If you think you're up to it."

"Wha-" Dean snickered. "You wanna try and 'knock me up' Cas?"

"Yes."

Dean stared blankly at his serious face below him. "Holy shit, I love you, you kinky bastard."

"Talking doesn't make babies, Dean." Castiel replied sternly.

Dean agreed. Enthusiastically.

With his mouth.

And shortly after, with his body.

…-^o^-…

"So, you managed to make it through the entire birth this time, huh?" Jo teased Dean as he rocked his son, Lucas, gently. Dean stuck his tongue out at her jab while everyone else laughed.

It was Christmas, and the entire extended Winchester family had gathered at Bobby's house to celebrate. Almost everyone was crammed together in the warm living room. Only Castiel, Jess, Ellen and Mary were missing, having taken Deandria, as well as Sam and Jess's baby girl, Leah (that's three foster kids-all girls-now if anyone's counting), into one of the back bedrooms for a mini-fashion show of all the new clothes the girl's had received as presents.

Occasionally Castiel would appear with the five year old hiding behind him, and urge her to 'show daddy you pretty new dress'. In vain, though, as Deandria would hide shyly against Castiel's legs, refusing to raise her head in front of the crowd.

It didn't stop Dean from calling happily, 'ooohh, so pretty!' and 'who's this princess? Is that my Deedee?' The little girl made small grunting sounds, and grasped Castiel tighter each time.

Dean smiled at the display of shyness, as Castiel sighed wearily and walked back out again.

"He's got Lisa's pretty brown eyes," Jo stated, crouching close to baby Lucas in Dean's arms.

"Aww, stop." Lisa laughed, blushing from her seat on the sofa a few feet away.

Dean shifted the baby proudly for everyone to see as he nodded in agreement. Lucas sucked on his toy keychain, staring back at the faces watching him.

"Doesn't look much like you, does he? Lucky little fellow," Sam cooed, smirking at Dean.

"Hey- we're practically twins, loser," Dean returned.

"Uhhh…" The entire crowded room seemed to shuffle awkwardly in their seats.

Dean snorted. "Seriously- watch this!"

He turned Lucas towards them, then tugged the toy keys gently away from the baby.

Lucas' eyes followed the keys and his chubby little hands reached helplessly for them. Dean held them just out of reach. The baby made a wet, strangled sound, then-

His face collapsed into a look pure betrayal and misery. His brown eyes widened, faint blonde eyebrows raising into a mask of hopelessness. He looked every bit like he had faced down demons and monsters for decades with no end in sight. Like the world had thrown him one too many bad turns and this…this was the one that broke him.

There was a moment of thoughtful silence from the entire room as everyone stared at the baby.

Lucas made a hapless strangled sob in the back of his throat- and the entire room burst into laughter and squeals. Dean beamed proudly, "See! Told you- kid looks just like me!"

Lucas erupted into confused tears, eyes searching the faces of the room.

"Dean-!"

Dean's smile dropped fast and he quickly handed his son the keys back. "Oh, uh, hey, Cas."

Castiel was already lifting the sobbing Lucas from Dean's arms and rocking him gently. "What on earth were you doing? Why is he upset?"

"Ahh…" Dean started hesitantly.

"Dean says Lucas looks just like him when he's about to start crying, and he wanted to prove it." Bobby supplied helpfully. "Turns out, he was right. Spitting image." The room erupted into barely contained laughter again.

Castiel spared Dean an annoyed glance before pulling Lucas closer and muttering soothingly, "Come on, handsome, you can join Papa and Sissy since Daddy wants to be a stupid-head."

"C-Cas-!" Dean moaned dejectedly as Cas left with his son.

"There's the face-!" Sam squawked, pointing at Dean.

The room shook with laughter as Dean flipped his brother off.

…

Later that evening….

"Alright, Lucas. Time for beddy-bye." Castiel lay his son down in his crib. The boys shook his pookie-bear tiredly, grinning at his papa. "Yes, Santa is gonna bring you some presents, so you have to sleep like a good boy tonight and not wake Daddy and Papa, okay?"

The baby gurgled an affirmative.

Castiel stepped back, taking a moment to really look at his son. The boy was just beginning to show real facial features instead of the usual 'baby' face. He had Dean's lightish brown/blonde hair and Lisa's chocolate brown eyes. The nose could maybe be Dean's…and there just wasn't any telling whether he's end up with his dad's jawline….

Castiel checked the open nursery door. Dean was taking a shower in the bathroom attached to their bedroom down the hall.

Taking a deep breath, Castiel reached down and plucked pookie-bear from Lucas' tiny hands.

The baby blinked at the bear dangling above him, then turned his wide-eyes to meet Castiel's. His little face crumpled, as if to say, "Ah, Fates- thou hast cast me another blow, and so soon after the last…"

He looked exactly like a mini-Dean.

Castiel felt laughter bubble out of him before he could stop it.

Lucas let out an indignant sob.

"Oh-no-no-no! No, my poor baby! Papa's sorry! Papa's so so sorry! It's okay!" Castiel scooped the sobbing baby up and rocking him soothingly.

"Why'd you take pookie from him, Papa?"

Castiel froze, turning to see his daughter peeking around the nursery door.

"W-why aren't you in bed waiting for Santa, DeeDee?"

"Were you trying to make Lucas cry, Papa…?"

They stared at each other for several tense seconds as Lucas wiggled unhappily in Castiel's arms.

"…I'll sneak a bowl of ice cream to you in your room if you promise not to tell Daddy."

Deandria eyed her papa with shrewd blue eyes. "…and cookies?"

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So, that's all I've got...for now. There are three more extras that I am DETERMINED to write to officially end this story: a Halloween chapter, Charlie's LARP Wedding, and the Big Wedding. BUT- you folks have been so awesome, I just hate the idea of dragging the story out any longer. So, I'm going to close the story out and mark it as 'Complete' for now. Once I have the other chapters written, I'll re-open the story and toss them in, then re-close it.
> 
> But, for now, that's the end. If you have any questions about the characters or how the story would have continued (if I wasn't so exhausted and felt like writing out another 250,000+ words) then you are totally welcome to ask. I wish I could fit all the side-characters stories into here, but it's just not possible. Ash and Meg are living happily with Clarence and a second child (another boy) in Australia, and they pop in every year to visit their friends in Lawrence. Gabe and Ruby have an army of mischievous tots that get into every kind of trouble possible. Bobby proposed to Ellen. She said 'yes'. Mary was the only person surprised, ironically. And, of course, Balthazar cornered Dick in the elevator (again) and proposed to him. I'll let you guess Dick's answer...
> 
> If you enjoyed the story and haven't had a chance to click that fancy button below to let me know, now's your chance! Nothing makes me happier than getting those email alerts saying that someone actually took the time to read this monstrosity of a story and actually got a kick out of it! I hope to continuing getting them in the future, months and maybe years from now as people find this story and give it a shot. Big thanks to everyone who shared this story on their blogs and profiles and social medias and stuff, too! You all rock my socks off!
> 
> Stay Awesome.


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